


Loss of Translation

by cdreaiton



Category: Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle
Genre: Aftermath of Violence, Gang Rape, Graphic Description, M/M, Mind Games, Mind Rape, Multi, Non-Consensual Oral Sex, Non-Consensual Violence, Rape, Rape Aftermath, Rape of a Minor, Rape/Non-con Elements, Sexual Violence, Statutory Rape, Violence, non-consensual sex with a minor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-29
Updated: 2014-12-28
Packaged: 2018-01-21 05:19:03
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 9
Words: 22,122
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1539134
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cdreaiton/pseuds/cdreaiton
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set during the 6 month period when Kurogane and Fai are separated from Syaoran and Sakura and stranded in Shura.  Unable to communicate or understand the language, Fai is targeted by the other soldiers and assaulted violently.  With his friend nearly dead, Kurogane seeks revenge.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Problem

**Author's Note:**

> This story will switch between Fai's POV and Kurogane's POV. Each switch will be noted.

_(Fai’s POV)_

 

He was running.  His breath was coming short and his muscles were beginning to cramp.  His body was telling him to slow down, take a rest, but his mind was pushing him to go faster, escape, hide.  He knew he couldn't stop now.  Not yet.  He was almost there.  To safety.  To…

Fai grinned wildly at Kurogane as he crossed the crude line drawn in the ground.  Kurogane glared and began talking irritatingly at him.  Fai was thankful that he couldn't understand his companion’s ranting.  He was certain the rant was merely Kurogane’s opinion of how incompetent Fai was at the training exercise they had just completed.  There were definitely some benefits to not having Mokona around.

Just as Kurogane's voice began to gain in volume, Fai's stomach growled loudly, drowning out the scolding.  Kurogane glared at Fai, who then grabbed his stomach and looked up at his friend pleadingly.  Mumbling under his breath, Kurogane began heading away from the training grounds towards the castle, motioning for Fai to follow him.  Taking a moment to smile at Kurogane's retreating back, Fai followed.

A few minutes later they arrived at their quarters, graciously provided to them by their host and current commander.  Kurogane spoke briefly to an attendant near their door before opening the doors and disappearing inside.  Fai closed the door behind him after he had entered, and promptly collapsed, face down, on the pile of blankets that made up his bed.  His entire body ached from the rigorous training exercises he spent his days, and sometimes nights, completing.

Fai was a competent fighter, but his main area of expertise was magic, which required very little physical movement.  However, since he had made a promise to not use his magic, and the world they had landed in required him to fight, at least until they found the other members of their group, he had begun training physically instead of mentally.  In the course of the training, the decision about which weapon he would use had been difficult.  There were so many to choose from, each with their own benefits, drawbacks, and ease of handling.  In the end, he had found himself quite proficient with a bow and arrow.  Kurogane hadn’t even let him pick up a sword.

The bow and arrow felt comfortable in his hands.  The gentle twang of the bowstring as it sent it's missile towards the target was almost soothing.  The motions were very like the motions he made when casting spells, and he was an excellent shot.  Plus, shooting from a distance meant he didn't have to move around a lot and stayed out of the main battle.  This was a bonus for Fai as it meant the danger was less, and that he wouldn’t have to do as much physical training.  At least it should have.  Kurogane insisted that Fai train everyday, just as much as he did.  He had spouted off several reasons, none of which Fai understood, for doing this, and when Fai continued to refuse had simply dragged him along anyway.

Fai didn't really mind training.  It gave him a chance to concentrate on something that was neither their current situation, nor his past.  And, truth be told, he was also glad of the ability to spend some time with Kurogane, without the company of his smaller traveling companions.  While he was very fond of Syaoran and Sakura, and of course little Mokona, he was always grateful for a little time alone with the man he had grown so fond of.

He knew that Kurogane didn't feel the same way.  That much had been painfully obvious during their travels.  But that didn't stop Fai from trying.  Using little pet names, keeping up his happy and cheerful attitude all the time, just to see the stoic man's feathers ruffled.  But Fai hadn't been able to accomplish much ruffling now that communication had become so difficult.  Fai had tried to be obnoxious, but the only response he seemed able to garner was anger.  Although Fai was used to seeing his companion angry, this was different.  And it wasn’t just Fai that was causing this change in mood either.  Kurogane had been consistently angry for the whole two weeks they'd been there.

Fai supposed it was justified.  From what he could tell, Yasha-o had told Kurogane that neither of them would be permitted on the battlefield until Fai was able to fight competently.  This at least partially explained Kurogane's consistent anger and why he was pushing Fai to exhaustion every day.  Kurogane was a fighter.  It was all he really wanted to do.  Fai knew this, and really was trying to do the best he could, but his inability to communicate was causing problems.  Spoken word was out of the question, and hand signals were sketchy at best.  Trying to figure out what it was that Kurogane wanted him to do for training sometimes took a good majority of the morning.  The fact that Fai knew the king's name was only because Yasha-o had introduced himself to Fai personally.  Everyone else introduced themselves to Kurogane, who had become a sort of spokesman for the two.  Fai wished he understood more about what was going on in this world.  He would have at least liked to know who they were supposed to be fighting…and why.

Before he could ponder on this foreign world's politics, Fai felt a gentle kick to his side.  He groaned slightly before sitting up. He looked up to find the table spread with food, and Kurogane pointing towards a seat cushion.  Fai leapt at the table and began devouring the food with earnest.  Kurogane shook his head in disapproval, but didn't say anything.  He simply started on his own food.  And so the two comrades ate their meal, in complete silence.

 

\-----------

 

Fai woke sometime in the night to the sound of a knock on the door.  He sat up and waited while Kurogane answered and spoke in hushed tones to the person on the other side.  When they were done, Kurogane closed the door and turned to his companion.  He smiled.  Not the kind of smile that turns heads or makes you double take.  No, this was the kind of smile that made your blood run cold and caused shivers to run relay races on your spine.  Tomorrow, they were going to battle.

 

\-------------

 

The fight was going well.  Fai was hanging back trying to keep out of the way, while Kurogane was on the front line showing up all the other soldiers.  Fai smiled to himself as he fired a volley of arrows at the enemy. Kurogane was a badass. He knew it, and he loved rubbing it in everyones face.

Taking his eyes off his friend for a moment, Fai looked towards the cliff where Yasha-o was fighting with the leader of the other army. He raised his bow to send the king some assistance when he felt a hand on his shoulder. It was a fellow soldier. He spoke to Fai, gesturing towards the cliff. Not understanding, Fai did his best to look confused, which wasn't actually that hard. The soldier repeated himself and this time Fai understood one word. Ashura-o.

Fai turned slowly and stared at the enemy king. His brain kept spouting out reasons why it couldn't be true, but his heart was racing and his hands were starting to feel clammy. It was him. He was back.

He felt the magic start taking them back home, but his mind was somewhere else. He shakily removed himself from his mount and returned to his room. He sat down on the cushions unable to process what was happening. He was back in Celes, crying out in pain as the king pinned him down and…

Fai shook himself, trying to dispel the flood of emotion. Once he had himself under control, he stripped off his dirty, sweat drenched uniform, grabbed a towel and his robe, and headed out to take a nice, relaxing bath.

 

\---------------

_(Kurogane’s POV)_

 

Kurogane's muscles tingled with the excitement of the fight. Two weeks of near inactivity had taken their toll, but now he was back in action and he couldn't get enough.  The other soldiers in Yasha-o's army surrounded him congratulating him on an amazing battle.  Even Yasha-o nodded at him in approval.  Kurogane loved the attention.  He scanned the crowd for the goofy smile of his over-enthusiastic companion.  It wasn't there.  He scanned the area between himself and the palace.  Fai wasn't there either.  Kurogane's heart began to beat a little faster.  He raised his voice above the crowd.

"My friend, where is he?"

The soldiers looked around to see if anyone had seen him.  One man spoke up.

"As soon as we got back he ran for the palace.  He looked pretty terrified.  Poor little pretty boy couldn't handle the fighting." The soldier's comments brought roars of laughter from the crowd.

Kurogane used the distraction to sneak away from the group and headed toward the palace.  For the millionth time Kurogane thanked the powers that be that Fai couldn't understand what the other soldiers were saying.  The name calling, the cat calls, and the degrading, dirty comments they made about Fai's 'effeminate' appearance, and the suggested uses for his pristine flesh had driven Kurogane to near madness.  Determined to protect his friend from the unknown danger, Kurogane had taken special precautions to make sure Fai was always in his line of sight.

It wasn't that he thought Fai was unable to take care of himself.  In fact, the soldier's comment that the fighting had scared the wizard was indeed laughable, but for an entirely different reason.

Fai was used to fighting.  His movements, fast reflexes, and quick returns had shown Kurogane that although Fai was not a warrior like himself, he was a fighter, and a damn good one at that.  So it wasn't Fai's abilities that worried Kurogane.  It was his attitude.  His disregard for his own life had been made clear in Oto.  And those nonchalant smiles and open gestures of his, left him wide open for an attack.  And this was the sort of attack he wouldn't see coming until it was too late.

Kurogane threw open the door of their shared room and looked around.  No Fai.  So he checked the dining hall.  No Fai.  He checked the kitchens, the library, the balconies, and the training grounds.  No Fai.  Kurogane felt a horrible sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.  The only place he hadn't checked was the baths.  The clothingless, weaponless baths. 

"Shit!"

\--------------------

 

_(Fai’s POV)_

 

Fai was lounging in the hot water trying to forget all of the suppressed memories that had resurfaced when the identity of their opponent had been revealed.  Try as he might, he simply couldn’t shake the fear that Ashura-o had returned.  And if Ashura-o were to catch him...painful memories threatened to overcome him, and he breathed deeply in an attempt to stabilize his mind.  

He was so caught up in his own thoughts that he didn't notice there were other people in the bath until they started talking to him.  There were three other men in front of him, two brunettes and a red haired man.  He vaguely recognized them as fellow soldiers.  One of the brunettes was slightly larger than the other two, and seemed to be their leader.  He gestured in Fai’s direction, smiling as he spoke.   Fai couldn't understand what they were saying, but their tone seemed nice and complimentary, so Fai smiled politely and pretended to listen.

At this reaction, two of the men moved closer and sat down on either side of Fai.  The leader was still in front of him, and continued to speak in kind tones as the red head put an arm around Fai's shoulders, patting him gently on the back.  The other began running a hand through Fai's hair, while the leader closed the distance and placed a hand on Fai’s knee.  Alarm bells went off in Fai’s head as he realized what the men were doing.  He tried to excuse himself politely but the men only moved closer and boxed him in.  Their touches became more intimate, rubbing down his chest and thighs.  Fai pushed at their hands attempting to protect his more sensitive areas, and found his wrists restrained by the brunette at his side in response.  When he tried to pull his hands free, the leader slapped his face, his nails gouging deep, bleeding welts in his cheek.

The leading brunette grabbed Fai's chin, and turned his face to look at his own.  His voice had changed from the soft kindness of before, to a harsh guttural tone that very plainly told Fai that he had no say in the events that were about to occur, and that he had better cooperate or the experience would be made more painful than necessary.  Fai nodded to show his understanding.

The larger brunette rubbed his hand down Fai's chest until he reached the mass of blonde curls at the base of Fai's limp dick.  Using the tips of his fingers, he began stroking the organ softly, causing Fai to twitch slightly.  The second brunette began tracing his hand across Fai’s chest, pinching and kneading his nipples.  The redhead moved his hand behind Fai, rubbing at the flesh of his rear, before moving on to tease Fai’s entrance.  After a few seconds, he inserted his finger into Fai and began thrusting roughly, causing him to cry out. The leader slapped him again. This time the slap was on the other cheek, but it left the same bleeding marks.  Fai shut his mouth tightly, biting into his lip.

Suddenly, the mens ministrations stopped, and Fai opened the eyes he hadn't even realized he'd closed.  The leader’s face was directly in front of him, and the look in his eyes was one of pain, fear and anger all mixed together.  The other two men had also ceased their actions and were staring at the other man's chest.  Fai followed their gaze.

  
The tip of a sword was pressed into the brunette’s chest, just over the heart.  A small trickle of blood had begun dripping down his abdomen.  A deep voice began speaking in threatening tones above them.  Fai blinked, a small sense of relief washing through him when he recognized the voice.  The men released him and backed away from the glistening steel.  Fai felt a hand on his upper arm and then he was yanked, unceremoniously from the water.  A robe was hastily thrown around his shoulders and he was hustled towards the door.  Pausing briefly in front of it, the sword bearer turned and issued one last threat, his voice low and menacing.  When he was finished, Fai was pulled into the hallway, the door to the baths slamming shut behind them.


	2. The Assault

_(Kurogane's POV)_

Kurogane slammed open the doors of their room and pushed Fai towards his blankets.  After slamming the doors shut again, Kurogane started towards the blonde, intent on a tongue lashing unlike any either of them had ever seen.  That’s when he saw the marks on Fai’s cheeks.  The bright red welts were raw and jagged, the blood trickling from them leaving small red streaks down Fai's face.  Kurogane turned mid-stride and grabbed a jar of salve off one of the shelves.  The lecture, which Kurogane knew Fai wouldn’t understand anyway, could wait.  At least until Fai's wounds were dealt with.

Fai was seated on the very edge of his blankets, white knuckled hands holding his robe closed.  As Kurogane got closer, he wasn’t at all surprised to see the blonde shy away from him, pulling his robe even tighter around himself.  He had no idea what it felt like to be violated in such a manner, and he sincerely hoped that he never did.  Kurogane set the jar of salve in front of Fai and pointed to his cheeks when the man looked up questioningly.  Fai picked up the jar shakily, and turned the lid to open it.  But his grip slipped and the jar fell, breaking on the stone floor.  Kurogane swore loudly causing Fai to jump.  Before Kurogane could say anything, Fai reached out and scooped up the broken glass into his hands.  The sharp edges and points sliced into his fingers and palms as he did so, causing him to drop the pieces once more to the floor, where they shattered.

Kurogane, restraining himself from shouting, leaned down and grabbed Fai's wrists before he could try to pick up the glass again.  He gave Fai a stern look, and waited for a nod of understanding before going to the door and calling for a guard.  When the guard came, Kurogane briefly explained that Fai had been injured during the battle and in his haste had broken their jar of salve.  After obtaining the guard's jar, he closed the door and returned to his shivering companion.  Kurogane gently grabbed Fai’s arm and pulled him over to his own nest of blankets, away from the broken glass.  He opened the jar and lifted the blonde head.  The welts looked much worse up close, and Kurogane swore to himself that he would never let Fai out of his sight again.  Of course, now that Fai knew what the danger was, maybe that wouldn’t be a problem.  Maybe Fai would refuse to leave his companion’s side.  Kurogane sighed knowing it would never happen.

After gently rubbing Fai’s cheeks and hands with salve, Kurogane noticed Fai’s shivering getting worse.  Suddenly remembering that Fai was soaking wet, Kurogane rushed off to find a towel.  When he came back, he noticed something else.  Fai was crying.  Kurogane blinked rapidly, trying to process his shock.  Fai never cried.  He was the one who smiled and laughed and joked around, keeping the others from crying.  While it was true that the constant fake smile grated on his nerves, Kurogane never thought he would see the other man cry.  Before Kurogane could say anything, Fai had wiped the tears away, and grabbed the towel from Kurogane’s hands.  Smiling his usual smile, Fai turned and darted into the adjoining side room to change.

\--------------

There was a knock on the door.  Checking to make sure Fai was still in the secondary room, Kurogane opened the door.  It was the Commander.

“What can I do for you Sir?” Kurogane asked, slightly surprised to see him. **  
**

“I received a complaint from one of the other men that you came into the baths and stabbed him.  Is this true?” The Commander's tone was neutral, but his eyes were sharp.

“No Sir.  I merely punctured the skin.  I should have stabbed him.” There was no hesitation in Kurogane’s voice.

“What prompted you to do this?”

Kurogane glanced briefly towards the closed door of the side-room, but didn’t answer.

“I see. May I come in?”

Kurogane opened the door, allowing the Commander to enter.

“I’ve heard the calls Kurogane.  I know what the men say about your friend when they think he’s not listening or can’t hear them.  I realize it’s upsetting to you, but save that anger for the battlefield.  It has no place in the castle.  The men are only harassing Fai.  He’s new and his beauty is quite the anomaly.  However, they are simply teasing.  He is not in any real danger from them.  Besides, having seen Fai fight, I am well aware of his capabilities as a fighter, as are the rest of the men.  I am sure you yourself cannot deny that he is far more than competent.  With this in mind, I am certain the men aren’t stupid enough to try anything.  Now, having said that, I understand why you attacked earlier.  I will waive discipline, but just this once.  Should you choose to attack the other soldiers again, I’m afraid action will have to be taken.  Do I make myself clear?”

"Yes, Sir.” Kurogane bit back his temper and answered shortly.

After the Commander left Kurogane balled his fist and punched the stone wall.  He had thought the Commander would be on his side, helping him keep Fai safe.  But now he knew that had been nothing more than wishful thinking.  No one could be trusted now.  Kurogane thought back to Tokyo, how he had protected the Princess by being the most feared warrior in all of Japan.  Perhaps he would have to do it again.  Kurogane set his lip and looked back to the closed side room door.  No matter what happened, he would protect Fai.

* * *

_(Fai's POV)_

Fai searched through the large chest in the side room until he found a clean set of clothes.  He managed to pull on his pants, but his hands were shaking too badly to handle his shirt, so he simply wrapped his robe around his shoulders.  He collapsed on the floor next to the chest and lay there, staring at the ceiling.  He was used to this sort of thing.  Ashura-o had assaulted him countless times, each more brutal and humiliating than the last.  And the king had always made sure to remind Fai that it was punishment for the terrible crimes he had committed.  And this was no different.  This was his punishment, and he deserved every minute of it.  Feeling the tears begin to well again, Fai took a deep breath to steady his emotions.  Nothing he did could change what would happen to him, and fighting always made it more painful.  With that final thought, Fai closed his eyes and drifted to sleep.

* * *

_(Kurogane's POV)_

Kurogane sat staring at the closed door.  He knew that the bells would sound soon, alerting the army to prepare for battle.  Fai was in no condition to fight, and Kurogane had no intention of leaving him.  As he debated how he would explain his absence from the battle to the Commander, Kurogane remembered the conversation he’d had with him when they’d first arrived.  Convincing him that Kurogane and Fai were not a threat was difficult.  Their strange clothes, eye color and Kurogane’s accent had put the whole army on edge.  After hours of talking with both the Commander and the King, Kurogane had managed to convince them that both Fai and himself were willing to swear their allegiance to Yasha-o.  And they had.  Fai probably didn’t remember that part at all.  It had been short, subtle, and Fai had simply smiled and nodded when the Commander looked at him.  Kurogane felt guilty for forcing the oath on his friend, but he’d had very little choice in the matter.  Once the oath had been given, the Commander reminded them, in no uncertain terms, that their lives now belonged to the army.  You fight, or you die. **  
**

As soon as Syaoran and Sakura turned up, Kurogane knew the four of them would leave for the next world.  But when that would happen, was impossible to know.  And they were stuck fighting for Yasha-o until it did.  In the meantime, Kurogane had to figure out how to protect Fai without putting both of them at risk.  Just then, the bells sounded.  Kurogane was about to go tell the Commander to take his oath and shove it, when Fai emerged from the side room.  His clothes and hair were disheveled, but he looked much better than he had the day before.  He smiled broadly and wandered into the main room.  Kurogane pantomimed a bow and arrow, looking questioningly at the blonde.  Fai shook his head, raising his bandaged hands in answer.  There was no way he would be able to shoot with his hands still injured.  Kurogane sighed and ran a hand through his hair.  Fai walked over to the corner where Kurogane’s sword leaned against the wall.  He picked it up and handed it to the ninja, smiling again.

As the final bell rang, Fai made a shooing motion with his hands.  Kurogane pointed to his cheeks, indicating his concern for Fai’s safety.  Before he could blink, Fai was behind him with a knife to his throat.  Kurogane smiled.  Yesterday, Fai had been unarmed and uninformed.  Today, he was aware and prepared.  Fai’s demonstration assured him that the blonde would be fine, and that he need not worry, but Kurogane felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach in spite of it.  He brushed it off as Fai pushed him gently towards the door, and he glared at the mage, who smiled in return, before rushing out the door to join the other soldiers on the field.   As the doors slowly closed, Fai watched Kurogane’s retreating back, and clutched the knife to his chest, while his eyes began to shine with unspoken terror.

* * *

_(Fai’s POV)_

Fai was sitting at the dining table eating the leftovers from the mornings meal when the door to his quarters was thrown open, startling him.  The large brunette from the baths entered, followed by his two companions from before, as well as two others Fai had never seen before, all of them smiling viciously.  Fear clutched at Fai’s chest, and by the time he thought to run, the men had surrounded him.  They grabbed his arms, pinning them roughly behind his back. **  
**

The leader, the brunette Kurogane had threatened, strode towards the struggling blonde.  He reached out a hand and pulled back Fai’s shirt, exposing his chest.  As he ran his fingers over the skin, Fai flinched and tried to pull away, causing the men to laugh.  The leader pulled his hand back and spoke briefly to his companions, and they sneered at Fai in response.  His fear now doubled, Fai began to struggle anew, but to no avail.  The soldiers began pulling at Fai’s clothes, ripping them from his body.  Within moments, Fai had been stripped naked, the shredded fabric of his clothing lying scattered across the floor.

Nearly overcome by fear, Fai tried to slip into the mind numbing void he had used so often as a child.  But when the leader grasped his flaccid member and began to crush it in his hand, the pain caused all thought of mental escape to vanish from Fai’s mind.  He screamed as his sensitive flesh was squeezed even tighter, tears welling in his eyes as his captors laughed again.  One of the men behind him grabbed a piece of fabric from the floor and bound Fai’s arms together tightly, the rough edges of the cloth biting into his skin.  Once he was restrained, hands began stroking, pinching and slapping at every inch of Fai’s skin.  Horror and humiliation welled inside him as Fai felt his body begin to respond to the teasing touches, despite the pain from the leader’s hand at his front.  The brunette barked gruffly, and when Fai did not respond, he pulled down on the blonde’s hardening member, forcing Fai to his knees.  Multiple fingers forced Fai’s mouth open, and the leader shoved his cock into the back of Fai’s throat, gagging him.

The wandering hands returned, stroking his penis until he was completely hard, and making him buck his hips in pleasure.  As he neared his climax, another piece of shredded fabric was tied tightly around the base of Fai’s erection, preventing him from release.  Kicks to the insides of his knees forced his legs open beneath him, and a wet finger slid into his ass, matching thrusts with the organ in his mouth.  Before he’d had time to adjust to the intrusion, a second finger joined the first and Fai closed his eyes against the pain.  The foreign digits began to thrust inside him harshly, and within moments the two became three, and then four, and Fai felt his insides ripping.  When the fingers became an entire hand, the blood began to run down Fai’s legs, his agonized scream muffled by the object in his mouth.  His assailants laughed cruelly and stroked his restrained erection, the humiliation and pleasure from the touch mixing with the pain.

The leader grabbed Fai’s hair, and he began thrusting faster.  Within seconds, he shuddered and released his seed into Fai’s mouth.  Fai tried to pull away and spit out the vile mass, but a hand was clamped over his mouth and nose, forcing him to swallow, or suffocate.  Fai gagged briefly, nearly choking, then his survival instincts took over and he swallowed the bitter liquid.  When the hand over his mouth was removed, Fai began to cough violently, bile rising in his throat.

As he struggled to recover, a torn strip of cloth was forced between his lips, gagging him, and his face was pushed into the floor.  The fist in his ass was yanked out and quickly replaced with a hard cock, the entrance made slicker by the lubricating wetness of Fai’s blood.  While the forceful preparation and blood made penetration easier, it did not make it less painful.  The constant thrusting and rubbing against the open wounds inside of him made Fai whimper and cry out in pain.  After what seemed like an eternity, Fai felt his assailant come to a halt and release inside of him.  Fai felt tears begin to run down his face as man withdrew and his semen dripped down Fai’s leg.  Another man quickly replaced the first, burying himself in Fai in a single thrust, and pulling him up by the hair until he was sitting upright with the man’s entire length buried inside him.

Before the new attacker started thrusting, he sneered and called out to one of his other companions.  The group snickered and one of the new faces appeared in front of Fai.  As his knees were pushed apart, Fai realized what was happening and tried to kick the man away.  A sharp slap to his injured cheek made him stop instantly, and he whimpered softly, shaking his head, when he felt the second man press the tip of his cock against Fai’s entrance.  Fai’s muffled screams echoed off the stone walls as the second man pushed himself inside, stretching and ripping Fai’s ass even further, the blood beginning to pool on the floor.

As the two men finished, Fai felt his mind begin to break.  Allowing himself to be swallowed by the pain, Fai barely felt the next man enter him, or the man after that.  His mind barely registered as the leader grabbed him by the hair, and pulled him over his lap.  When four fingers were shoved inside of him and began groping around his abused rear, Fai’s body bucked and twitched, rubbing his restricted member against the leader’s leg.  A soft moan escaped Fai’s throat and he heard a low chuckle from above.  As the fingers in his ass were removed, the gag in his mouth was pulled out and the brunette leader yanked on his hair again, turning Fai around on the leaders lap so that he was facing the other direction.  The digits that had just been plundering his ass were held up before Fai’s eyes and he watched as the blood and semen covering them dripped slowly onto the floor.  Fai’s tears began to fall anew as the fingers were shoved into his mouth.  The bitter taste of the semen mixed with the metallic iron of the blood made Fai’s stomach heave.  Fearing what would happen if he protested again, Fai resisted the urge to bite off the man’s fingers, and swallowed the vile mess in his mouth.

Humiliation and agony threatening to overtake him, Fai tried again to retreat to his mental void. As he tried to ignore the situation, he was suddenly jolted back to reality, when a pain worse than any he had ever felt tore through his body.  Fai screamed with such intensity that all sound was lost as the bladed tip of an arrow was pushed through his entrance.  His head was grabbed and the gag forced back in as the arrow was pushed deeper and deeper into him, until only the fletching remained visible.  

Fai’s body arched and jolted in agony as the arrow was twisted inside of him before being yanked out violently.  Dropping him onto the floor, Fai’s assailants stood around him and began rubbing their erections.  They all reached their climax quickly, releasing their sticky seed onto Fai’s broken, bloody body.  The men laughed as they redressed themselves, kicking at the degraded, battered Fai before retreating out the door.

The leader paused long enough to grab Fai’s chin roughly and issue a guttural threat the blonde could only pretend to understand, before slapping Fai’s ass roughly, causing him to cry out.  Picking up a shred of fabric from the pool of blood on the floor, the brunette tied in around Fai’s head, securing the gag in his mouth.  Fai shook his head, tears rolling down his cheeks and into the blood soaked fabric.  With a sneer, the leader tightened the cord around Fai’s still erect cock and patted the bindings around his arms.  A small muffled sob leaked out from behind Fai’s gag as the leader stood.  With a final kick, the brunette spat in Fai’s face, and strode out of the room, leaving Fai lying, bound and gagged, in a pool of blood on the floor.


	3. The Aftermath

_(Kurogane's POV)_

\-------------------

Kurogane could feel the adrenaline from the battle fading as he walked towards his quarters, the worry from earlier beginning to return.  He had tried to push it aside, insisting to himself that everything was fine, but the harder he tried, the more the worry began turning into fear.  It was a feeling Kurogane wasn’t used to, and he didn’t like it.  As he opened the door to his room the sharp metal tang of blood hit him like a wall.  Instantly on alert, he scanned the room, trying to find the source of the scent.  At first Kurogane wasn’t able to spot anything, but as his eyes adjusted to the dim light, his gaze landed on a dark pool of liquid near the dining table.  In the center of the pool of what Kurogane knew to be blood, lie a naked figure, bound and gagged.  Fai.  Kurogane’s blood began to boil and tendrils of red started creeping into his vision, accompanied by fear.

He rushed over, and crouched down next to Fai, checking for signs of life.  He allowed himself a brief sigh of relief when he felt the faint beating of his friend’s heart.  Kurogane spotted Fai’s dagger a few feet away, and grabbed it, quickly cutting away the gag and the restraints around Fai’s arms.

Kurogane left for a brief moment, hurrying into the bedroom to grab the blankets from his bedroll, laying them on the floor next to Fai.  He gently lifted Fai’s limp, bloodied form, restraining his anger as Fai whimpered at the motion.  Wrapping the blankets carefully around Fai’s body, Kurogane pulled him close, cradling his wounded companion in his arms.  With all the skills and abilities which had earned him his title of ninja, Kurogane made his way through the palace and into the healer’s rooms without notice.

“What’s happened to him?”  The healer inquired, gesturing to the bundled man Kurogane carried.

“He’s been hurt.  Badly.”  Kurogane responded shortly, laying Fai on the healer’s padded table.

The healer carefully removed the blankets surrounding Fai and gasped when he saw the amount of blood and other fluids covering the frail figure.

“What happened?” the healer asked shortly, rummaging through a box by the table.

Kurogane’s face began to redden as the restrained fury inside him crept to the surface.

“I’m going to kill them.”

Noticing the warrior’s thin grasp on his temper, the healer grabbed a cloth and a basin, handing them to Kurogane.

“Wash him.  Gently.  We’ll need to get all of the blood off before I can begin any kind of treatment.  I’ll be right back.  I need to get a few more supplies.”

Kurogane nodded briefly in acknowledgement as the healer left the room, and filled the basin with warm water from a pot placed near the fire. Wetting the cloth, Kurogane used the lightest touch he could, and began wiping away the blood from Fai’s skin.  As he worked, Kurogane thought of all the painful and torturous ways he would make the men who had done this suffer.  With each blotch of red that vanished came a renewed determination to dismember the perpetrators who had dared to lay a hand on his companion.  Kurogane was so focused on his thoughts of revenge that he jumped when a hand was placed on his arm.  Looking up, Kurogane found himself looking into Fai’s smiling face.

“You’re smiling? You’re laying on the healers table, covered in blood and...”  Kurogane stopped for a moment, the words caught in his throat.  “The entire floor of our chambers is red with your blood, and you’re smiling?!”  His voiced became raised and harsh with emotion.

Fai’s smile faded, replaced with a look of anguish, as a wave of pain washed over him, his nails digging into Kurogane’s arm, as his body arched and seized.  The healer rushed into the room as Fai began to cry out, the Commander hot on his heels.  Elbowing Kurogane out of the way, the healer pressed his hands to Fai’s forehead.  They began to glow a soft green and after a moment, Fai’s body relaxed.

The Commander tapped Kurogane on the arm, motioning him into the healer’s preparation room.

“Tell me what happened.”

“Isn’t it obvious what happened?  Those soldiers you said were harmless assaulted him.  When we returned, I found him in our chambers, bound and gagged, lying in a pool of his own blood!”

The Commander frowned and rubbed his jaw line.

“I’ll handle this.”

“No.”  Kurogane’s forceful refusal caused the Commander to raise an eyebrow.  “You had your chance to handle it.  I refuse to stand by while the men who did this get slaps on the wrists and lectures on appropriate behavior.  They are going to pay.”  Clenching his fists as he issued the threat, Kurogane turned towards the door.

“Before you tear through the palace slicing up soldiers, let me ask you one question.”

Kurogane stopped walking, but didn’t turn around, and the Commander continued.

“Why didn’t he fight back?  If he knew what the men wanted, why did he not simply defend himself?  I find it hard to believe that a man of his skill level would allow something of this nature to happen against his will, without even lifting a finger to protect himself.  I suppose it’s possible that the soldiers overpowered him, although it’s unlikely.  It’s equally as possible that your companion has a proclivity for this sort of...interaction, but I find that even harder to believe.  In my opinion, the most likely reason he didn’t fight back is because he didn’t fully understand the situation until it was too late.  And considering the way the men speak to and about him, the only way for him not to understand the severity of the situation, would be if he didn’t understand what was being said.”

Kurogane stiffened, mild panic joining the flurry of emotions inside of him.  After taking a moment to calm himself and chose his words, he spoke.

“How long have you known?”  Kurogane’s voice was even, but tense.

“That your friend didn’t speak our language?  Since the first day he started training with you.  There isn’t a soldier in the world who doesn’t understand the command ‘run’.  Combined with his muteness and almost permanent look of confusion, well...the answer was obvious.  What language does he speak?”

“I don’t know.  We were separated from our translator.”

“I see.  Can you communicate with him at all?”

“He seems to at least sort of understand me most of the time.  Why?”

“He’ll need you by him to help explain what’s happening.  If I’m right, you are the only person he trusts right now.  Let me investigate a bit and find out which soldiers are responsible.  Once I have names, I’ll let you handle them how you see fit, but for now, stay with Fai.  Running around killing random people because they might have been involved might help calm your rage, but it won’t ease his pain.”  Without waiting for acknowledgement, the Commander left the healer’s rooms and disappeared into the hall.

 

\------------------------------------------------

 

Kurogane stood in the doorway, staring at the nearly still form lying on the healer’s table.  The healer had removed the bloody blankets, replacing them with a clean one the he had draped over Fai’s lower body while he worked.  There were bruises all over Fai’s chest and arms, dark against his light skin, and the welts on his cheeks still hadn’t healed completely.  But Kurogane was heartened slightly when he noticed that a good portion of color had started to return to Fai’s skin, although he was still quite pale.

“How is he?”  The healer jumped slightly at the question, whirling around and breathing a small sigh of relief when he saw Kurogane.

“He was wounded quite badly.  His insides were sliced up by some sort of knife or other sharp instrument.  That’s what caused the bleeding.  I’ve done what I can for him, but it’s going to take some time for him to recover fully.”

“Can I take him back to our room, or does he still need to stay here?”

“I think that would be alright.”

After giving Kurogane specific instructions regarding how he was to care for his friend and giving him a bottle of medicine in case there was any lingering pain, Kurogane carried Fai back to their room.  The smell of blood was gone, replaced by the sweeter smell of herbs and soap.  The floors appeared to have been scrubbed clean, and the bedrolls Fai and Kurogane had been using were gone, straw filled mattresses taking their place.  Kurogane carefully lay Fai down on one and covered him with a blanket.

Kurogane reached out and gently traced a finger over the dark marks on Fai’s cheek.

  
“What have I done?”


	4. The Healing Process

_(Fai's POV)_

_\------------------_

 

He hurt. In fact, he was fairly certain he had never hurt this much in his entire life. He tentatively opened an eye, but the brightness forced it shut again. His body felt like stone and his head was filled with cotton. Painful, throbbing cotton. Through the fog he thought he heard someone speaking. It was faint and disjointed. He tried to understand what the voice was saying but the strain made his head hurt more. Squinting his eyes shut against the pain, he rolled his head away from the sound. Someone put a hand on his head, and the voice spoke again, softer this time. He tried to roll away again, but his body wasn’t cooperating. The hand on his head left briefly, then returned accompanied by a cup at his lips. He sipped the proffered liquid slowly. As he drank, the throbbing in his head began to lessen, his senses becoming clearer.

Once his headache had dulled to a manageable level, he pulled his mouth away from the cup and risked opening his eye again. While the light no longer hurt, his vision remained blurry. A dark figure was crouched next to him holding a glass. The figure spoke, but the words were garbled and meaningless. He blinked. Partly to clear his vision, which it didn't, and partly in confusion. The figure sighed heavily and pointed to the cup in his hand, raising an eyebrow in question. His head was still aching and his vision wasn’t quite clear, so he gave a tiny nod and the cup was placed against his lips again.

After he drained the cup, he laid his head back, closing his eyes to sleep. Before being allowed to drift off, the hand was on the back of his head lifting him up slightly. He felt a spoon being pressed against his lips. Hesitantly, he opened them. The soup was warm and curled around his empty stomach comfortingly. He hungrily accepted spoonful after spoonful of the delicious liquid.  Its warmth spread from his abdomen to his extremities, bringing the feeling and life back. As the numbness in his legs retreated, painful cramping took it’s place. He began to seize in pain. His body jerked as his muscles spasmed, and he arched his back in a silent scream of agony.  The cup was instantly back at his lips, forcing him to drink. The seizing stopped, but the pain remained. The person beside him brushed the hair out of his face and spoke softly, calming him. He winced and gestured towards his legs, indicating the origin of the pain.

The figure lifted the blanket covering him and gently moved the folds of his robe out of the way. Then there were hands on his legs, soothing and massaging the pain away. His entire body relaxed as the large, warm hands worked some kind of magic on his aching limbs. As the pain receded he found himself losing the battle against the inviting blackness of sleep. After less than a second of consideration, he conceded and dozed off.

 

 

* * *

 

_(Kurogane's POV)_

 

Kurogane woke suddenly as someone touched his arm. He sat up and saw Fai reaching for him, his body shivering uncontrollably.

“Shit.” Kurogane jumped out of bed and knelt beside his companion, “Are you hurting? Do you need some more medicine?” He placed a comforting hand on the blonde head and lifted the other in a pantomime of drinking. Fai shook his head. “Are you cold?” He crossed his arm in front of his chest and shivered slightly. Fai nodded.

“Cowld.” Fai’s attempt at speech was hindered by the chattering of his teeth.

Kurogane grabbed the blanket off his bed and draped it over the mage. He stood and went to the hearth, where he had a small fire going within moments. Placing the pot of soup next to the coals, he returned to his still shivering friend. Kneeling again, he began rubbing his hands over Fai’s back and limbs, willing the heat to return.

Once the shaking had subsided, Kurogane urged Fai to eat. This mainly consisted of him holding the spoon full of soup in front of the mage’s face and glaring. Crude, but effective. Fai managed to swallow most of the contents of the bowl before turning away. As he laid back down to sleep, Fai grabbed Kurogane’s hand and squeezed, smiling slightly. Kurogane, unsure of how to respond, simply squeezed back. Fai’s smile widened briefly before he slipped back into sleep.

 

\---------------------------------------------------------------

 

Kurogane was still sitting by Fai’s bed holding his hand when someone knocked on the door. It was the Commander. 

“Did you find the men responsible?”

“I did. After some...investigating...I was able to obtain the information.”

Kurogane smirked at the Commander’s use of the word ‘investigating’. He would like to do some ‘investigating’ of his own.

“Who?”

“Before I tell you, perhaps we should sit. None of the information I have is pleasant.” Kurogane nodded towards the cushions by the dining table. The two men sat. “One of my lieutenants, the man you stabbed in the baths the other day, along with two other officers, a guard and a member of the kitchen staff, were responsible for assaulting Fai. They’ve all been found and detained.”

“Five?! There were five of them?!” Kurogane asked incredulous.

“I’m afraid so. They’d apparently been planning on assaulting Fai for some time. I cannot apologize enough for being so dismissive of the problem.” The Commander bowed slightly towards the dark-haired warrior. Kurogane bowed in response, accepting the apology. “Has he spoken at all?” The Commander gestured towards the sleeping blonde.

“He told me he was cold, but that’s it. Mostly he just sleeps, but the healer said that he would need quite a bit of rest to help him recover. He did smile though.”

“That’s a good sign at least.”

“With him, not usually. It a pretty good indication that he’s hiding something he really doesn’t want you to find out. Pity it’s not going to work this time.” Kurogane grinned in a half ironic, half vicious way.

“So,communication is improving then?”

The grin vanished.

“Well...no. We’re still limited to hand signs and facial expressions.”

“I see. My information only tells us who hurt him. Without knowing how they hurt him, we will not be able to help him, and that could be more dangerous than the actual incident.  We can make assumptions based on what we know, and we can interrogate the men responsible, but that will only get us so far.  Fai’s physical wounds will heal with time, but the mental...the emotional ones...without accurate information it will be difficult, if not impossible, for anyone to help him come to terms with what happened.”

Rubbing a hand through his thick hair, Kurogane sighed. The Commander made a valid point. He was going to need a more reliable way to communicate with his companion. Pantomimes and glares would only get him so far, and it would take him months to teach Fai his language, assuming he was willing to learn.

“I....” Kurogane steeled himself against the seeming inevitability of asking the Dimension Witch for help. Again.  Who knew how much this favor was going to cost him. He glanced at Fai as the blonde shifted under his blankets. The light from the window cast an almost ethereal light on the pale face, highlighting the welts on his cheek. To hell with his pride. Fai needed help, and she was his only option. Kurogane steeled himself, and spoke. 

“Do you have any one here who can help me contact another world?”

 

 

* * *

_(Fai's POV)_

 

“Fai.”

The voice was back.

“Fai.”

And it was accompanied by a hand gently shaking his shoulder.

“Fai.”

The mage searched his brain for a response to the insistence that he wake up.

“Fai.”

There it was.

“No.”

“Too bad. We need to talk.”

Fai’s eyes shot open. He’d understood that. That must mean...

“Mokona!” Fai struggled to sit up and searched the room for their puffy little translator. 

“No, but this is probably the first time I’ve ever missed the little puff ball.”

Turning towards the voice, Fai saw Kurogane sitting on the floor beside him, holding a large translucent stone.

“It’s a translator, of sorts.” Kurogane responded to Fai’s unspoken question. “I got it from the Witch.”

Fai reached out his hand to hold it. It was light, as if it was filled with air. It occurred to him that if this translator had indeed come from the Dimensional Witch, it would have had a price. Yuuko’s goods were never cheap, and Fai knew that neither Kurogane nor himself had anything of real value to pay with. Except...

“Your sword!”

Kurogane frowned and held up the object in question. Now he was really confused. Beside the sword, neither of them had anything that would have sufficed as payment for the Witch’s services. Mokona had been carrying all of their possessions.

“Then how...”

“It’s complicated. For now just accept that we have it. Okay?” Fai nodded. “Good. Now, how are you feeling?”

“Great! You’re a good doctor Kuro-pu.” Fai’s grin covered half his face.

Sighing heavily, Kurogane stood and walked around Fai, and into the side room. Fai was about to make an attempt to follow him when he returned, holding a blanket.

“It’s okay Kurogane. I’m not cold anym...” The blonde froze as the blanket was dropped next to him. It was stained a dark red and Fai could smell the dried blood. All the memories of what had happened came flooding back. He had just enough time to turn and lean over before he began retching. His entire body shook with the forceful heaves, and he felt Kurogane’s hands on his shoulders, steadying him. When he was certain his stomach had settled, he pulled himself out of Kurogane’s grasp.

“Are you alright?” Kurogane asked gruffly.

Unable to trust his voice, Fai simply smiled and nodded. Kurogane frowned and sighed again, rising and pouring a cup of water from a nearby pitcher. He handed it to Fai.

“Drink.”

While Fai slowly sipped the contents of the glass Kurogane called in a maid to clean up. Fai felt guilty for the mess and would have said something, had Kurogane not been standing over his shoulder looking intimidating. When she had finished, the maid nearly ran out the door, bowing hurriedly.

Before Fai could apologize for the embarrassing display, there was a knock on the recently closed door.

Kurogane grabbed his sword and stood, placing his body between Fai and whoever was at the door.

“What is it?”

“Sir! The baths are ready for you, Sir!” Even though the voice was muffled by the door, Fai could tell the man was scared.

“Good. Dismissed.” Kurogane grabbed two towels and two clean robes from the side room and tossed them onto the bed next to Fai.

Fai pulled them to his chest feeling the anxiety start to build. The baths? Last time he’d gone there...

“Hey. What’s wrong?” The ninja had strapped his sword at his waist and was staring at the blonde intently.

“Not a thing! I could use a bath.” Fai attempted to stand up and was instantly thankful for Kurogane’s lighting reflexes as his legs gave out beneath him. He smiled sheepishly and Kurogane sighed. Internally, Fai flinched. That sigh was starting to get worrisome. What had happened to his angrily-energetic friend?

  
Before he had a chance to ponder it further, Fai felt his legs swooped up from underneath him. With an arm around his shoulders and another under his legs, Kurogane proceeded to carry him towards the baths.


	5. The Second Assault

_(Fai’s POV)_

 

The warm water felt like heaven on his battered body.  All the pain and anguish of the last few days melted away into the healing waters.  Fai let his mind drift and quickly found himself thinking of his dark-haired companion.

 

Kurogane’s recent actions both worried and comforted him.  On one hand, the ninja had been more than gentle and caring.  Massaging the pain from his legs, feeding him, giving him medicine, carrying him when he couldn’t walk, making sure he had enough blankets to keep warm, and holding his hand while he slept.  Fai smiled to himself.  Syaoran had done that for Sakura.  The thought that he might be as important to Kurogane as Sakura was to Syaoran made his heart leap in his chest.  There was nothing in the world that could have made him happier.

 

However, the gentle touches were accompanied by heavy sighs and hidden frowns.  Kurogane was being more caring, yes, but his normally brash and blunt way of speaking seemed to be gone, replaced with stoic silence.  Was it because of the translator stone?  Had the price been steeper than the warrior had been willing to pay?  Was it possible that the Witch had demanded something even more precious to Kurogane than his sword?

 

Then another thought occurred to him.  What had happened to the men who had assaulted him?  While Fai personally hoped they had been arrested and tortured violently, he was more concerned about them coming back to repeat the incident.  He hadn’t had the chance, or desire really, to tell Kurogane what had happened to him, but he knew that with the types of wounds he had sustained, it would be obvious to anyone who had seen him that day, or who knew of the injuries, what had transpired.  And putting all thoughts of Kurogane’s own feelings towards Fai aside, his dark haired companion had made it obvious, on more than one occasion, that he would not tolerate anyone hurting his companions.  Anyone who did dare to hurt them would find themselves in a world of pain when Kurogane doled out his own personal brand of punishment.

 

Unless...what if Kurogane had been in on it?  With the amount of torment and annoyance he put the warrior through, retaliation was inevitable.  What if Kurogane had been planning to assault Fai for sometime, and their current situation had simply proved too opportune to pass up?  After all, Kurogane was the only one who actually spoke the language, so it would have been a simple matter for him to plan the whole thing without Fai ever knowing what was going on.  He could have been talking about it while Fai was standing right next to him and Fai would never have known!  With how much power Kurogane had demonstrated, and how much the other soldiers seemed to respect him, it would have been easy to convince those men to surround him in the baths, and then pretended to come to his rescue.  Maybe he had planned on using the little rescue to make Fai more dependent on him, making him drop his guard and creating an opening for a future, more personal, attack.

 

And even if that hadn’t been Kurogane’s original plan, after seeing what those men had been about to do to Fai in the baths, Kurogane had acted like nothing had happened.  Fai had spent the night curled into a blanket, crying himself to sleep.  When Kurogane had asked him about going to fight the next day, he had seemed genuinely angry that Fai had injured himself to the point of being useless in battle.  What good was a companion that couldn’t fight?  The only reason Fai had insisted that Kurogane go to the battle, was because he was tired of being the one holding the warrior back.  Even after Fai’s little display with the knife, Kurogane knew that the mage was unlikely to defend himself in the event of an attack.  His desire to live was still nearly nonexistent, even after that little pep talk in Oto.  Besides, Fai knew from experiences in previous worlds that one glance at the swordsman, and few people were willing to even talk to him, let alone go behind his back and try to harm his companions. The only way those soldiers would have even considered assaulting Fai was if the person protecting him had either given them permission, or asked them to do it.

 

Fai shook his head roughly, trying to drive the horrible, painful thoughts from his mind. It couldn’t be true.  Kurogane was not the sort of person who would ever, ever, do anything like that.  He might be rough around the edges, and scary as hell when he got mad, and he might lecture Fai constantly about getting stronger, but he’d never do anything to intentionally hurt one of his friends.

 

Fai buried his head in his hands.  Did Kurogane not consider him a friend?  Was he just some nuisance the dark haired man was forced to put up with because of circumstance?  If his sword hadn’t broken that night in Oto, would he have run it through the injured mage, ending his miserable existence right then and there?  Or had he been waiting for a time when they were separated from the others?  Could Fai really trust him, or would he wake one night to find himself bound and gagged and at the complete mercy of a merciless man?  The very idea that the man he so admired, the man he…loved…might be capable, and willing, to do something so cruel, made Fai’s heart sink in his chest.  But it was the thought that he meant nothing more to Kurogane than the baggage Mokona carried for them that broke Fai’s spirit, and caused tears to fall from his eyes, making small splashes in the bath water.  As he sobbed silently, Fai whispered a tiny plea to the air.

 

“Kurogane...”

 

“Pinning for your lover?” A cruel voice sneered from behind him.

 

Fai froze as he recognized the voice, and all the blood drained from his face.

 

“Even after all the pleasuring we gave you, you’re still hungry for more?  What a little slut you are.”

 

Fai was dragged out of the water unceremoniously, and his arms were pinned roughly behind his back.  A hand grabbed his hair, yanking his head around to face one of his attackers.  It was the dark haired lieutenant from before.  His left eye was nearly swollen shut and his nose looked like it had been broken recently.  The sneer that occupied half his face, accompanied with his other injuries, only served to make the man look more terrifying.  As the lieutenant released the blonde hair, he moved his hand down Fai’s chest until he reached the limp organ between the mage’s legs.  He began stroking the member, none to softly, and Fai could feel his body responding and began to shake in horror and humiliation.

 

“Well, look at what we have here.  Seems I was right.  You really are a filthy little whore now, aren’t you?”

 

Fai tried to stop his body from betraying him, but his hips bucked traitorously into the other man’s hand in spite of his disgust.  The lieutenant removed his hand from Fai’s semi-hard erection, sliding it around and down the blonde’s back side and rubbed a finger around the tender entrance.  Fai almost cried in shame as his hips thrust backwards, trying to drive the teasing digit into his ass.  The brunette roared with laughter.

 

“You’re nothing more than a bitch in heat!  Don’t worry, my pet.  You’ll have my cock in your ass soon enough.  But first, I’ve got a present for you.  And before I take you to see it, we need to get you dressed for the occasion.”

 

The lieutenant leered and pulled a dark leather collar from his pants pocket.  Fai blanched at the sight of it, trying to pull away, but the grip on his arms was firm, and the collar was soon secured around his neck.  The lieutenant pulled a second item from his pocket, and attached it to the ring in the middle of the collar.  Fai’s humiliation grew as he watched the man jingle the chain leash, smiling wickedly at the blonde.

 

“Now, I may be wrong, but dogs don’t usually walk on two legs.  Do they?”  The villainous grin grew even more pronounced, and the brunette’s eyes gleamed with vindictive pleasure.  The man holding Fai’s arms released him, kicking the back of his knees as he did so, forcing the mage to fall on all fours in front of his assailant.  A chorus of snickers rose up from the men surrounding Fai, and the blonde lowered his head in shame.

 

“There.  Now you look just like the bitch you are.  Shall we go?”  And with a wave of his hand, the leader motioned towards the door, kicking Fai from behind when he didn’t move.  “Don’t you want to see your present, my pet?”

 

Although Fai had no desire to see what sort of ‘present’ this man had in store for him, he also knew what would happen if he refused.  So he swallowed the anger and humiliation, and crawled across the floor and out the doors.  He was instantly relieved to see that the hallways were empty.  The rest of the army must have been at the moon castle.

 

By the time they reached their destination, the prison cells, Fai’s knees were scraped and bleeding, and his arms were sore and wobbly.  A kick to his side sent him sprawling into one of the cells.  When one of the men brought a lantern into the darkened area, Fai nearly fainted at what he saw.  For there, arms and legs chained to the wall, lower lip bleeding and sword cast aside and out of reach, was Kurogane.

 

 

* * *

 

_(Kurogane's POV)_

 

Kurogane stood just outside the doors to the baths, arms folded and his usual scowl darkening his face.  It took nearly every ounce of self control he had to keep from watching the blonde bathe.  Fai had been through enough recently, he didn’t need his companion, who was supposed to be protecting him, joining the ranks of the perverts and being a peeping tom.  Although, Kurogane knew he really should be keeping an eye on the mage.  The men who had assaulted the mage might be in prison, but that didn’t mean there weren’t others out there who would love the opportunity to do the same thing they had.  And Kurogane couldn’t protect the smaller man if he didn’t keep his eyes on him.

 

Kurogane sighed.  That was one of the worst excuses he had ever heard.  What kind of person came up with lame-ass excuses just so he could watch his friend take a bath?  Another sigh.  He did.  He knew it was wrong of him to love the mage, and he knew that if Fai ever found out he’d probably never speak to him again, but...well...he was just so damn beautiful!  Cocky little bastard knew it too, and Kurogane could swear that some of Fai’s teasing was on purpose.

 

Kurogane leaned his head back against the wall.  If the situation were different, no enemy army to fight, no sexual predators to defend against, this whole thing would have been a blessing.  He could have taken the time alone together to show the magician how he truly felt.   There was no Mokona to interfere, no Syaoran to teach and no Sakura to protect.  Of course, without Mokona, there was also no communication.  At least, there wouldn’t have been any communication if circumstances hadn’t been what they were.  Kurogane frowned down at the stone in his pocket, remembering his conversation with the Witch.

 

\---------------------------------------------------------------

 

The Commander had led him through a maze of hallways until they finally reached the King’s personal chambers, and then practically pushed him through the door before Kurogane could ask even a single question.

 

“Are you in need of some assistance?” Yasha-o’s voice was soft, and he sounded tired.

 

“I need to contact the Dimensional Witch.” Kurogane stated matter-of-factly, not wanting to waste time with pleasantries.

 

Yasha-o did not respond, but simply gestured to a large ornate mirror hanging on the wall next to him.  Kurogane stepped directly in front of the mirror and waited.  Within moments the Witch’s reflection appeared before him.

 

“Yes? What is it you that require?”

 

This was the hard part.  He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, letting images of Fai’s blood spattered body cross his mind, steeling his resolve.  After a few seconds, he opened his eyes and swallowed his pride.

 

“The magician and I have been separated from Mokona and the others.  Fai’s been injured, but without Mokona we have been unable to communicate with him, and have no idea how to help him.”

 

“I see.  Are _you_ are able to communicate then?

 

“With Fai, no. But my language is similar enough to the one spoken by the people of this country that I’m able to manage.”

 

The Witch disappeared from the mirror’s reflection for a moment and returned holding a large wrapped item in her hands.

 

“This is a translation stone. It works much the same as Mokona, but with a few limitations. You can only use it for a short amount of time.”

 

“How long?”

 

“That depends on the need of the person using it, in this case, you.  Once you start using it, it will begin to darken and grow heavy.  When it becomes jet black and you are no longer able to lift it, it will no longer work.”

 

“What happens to it then?”  Kurogane asked curiously.  He didn’t want to end up tripping over a stone in the middle of the floor that he couldn’t move.

 

“You needn’t worry about the stone.  It can take care of itself.”

 

Kurogane was about to ask how a stone could take care of itself, when he remembered who he was talking to and thought better of it.  He sighed and ran a hand through his dark hair.

 

“I understand.  And I suppose you’ll require some sort of compensation for this magic stone?”

 

“Of course.”

 

“Name it.”

 

“The mirror you are using to contact me is located in the land of Yama, is it not?  I believe that particular one belongs to Yasha-o, the king of the country.”

 

Kurogane furrowed his brow and looked at the woman suspiciously.  How did that woman always seem to know so much?

 

“It does.”

 

“And is Yama still at war with Shura?”

 

Kurogane’s glare intensified and his suspicion grew, but he still answered.

 

“They are.”

 

The Witch nodded to herself and a strange smile flashed across her face before she turned back to Kurogane.

 

“Very well then.  For your payment, bring me a piece of the Moon Castle where Yama and Shura fight.”

 

“A piece of...you mean a rock?”  Kurogane’s mouth nearly fell open in disbelief.  This was the woman who had taken his sword, Fai’s staff, Sakura’s memories!  And now all she wanted from him was a rock?

 

“The material the Moon Castle is made of contains very special magical properties.  It is more than mere rock.”  Yuuko smiled patiently at the dark haired warrior.

 

“So...that’s it? You’ll give me the translator if I bring you a rock?”

 

“The price is in balance with the service rendered.” She smiled and pushed the wrapped object towards him. Kurogane barely had enough time to catch it as the mirror’s surface liquified and the stone emerged.  “Send the payment with Mokona once you’ve been reunited.”  And with that, she was gone.

 

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Kurogane opened his eyes and straightened, stretching his back and shoulders.  The Witch’s payment confused him, and made him a bit more than slightly suspicious.  There was no way, after all she’d put them through and made them give up, that she was satisfied with a silly little rock for payment, magic or not.  He knew that once they were reunited with Mokona she would demand something else of him, but for now he was grateful that at least she hadn’t asked for his sword again.

 

A movement in the corner of his vision instantly brought him out of his reverie.  He drew his sword with lightning speed, and turned towards the motion.  It was the maid who had cleaned their room, hiding behind a corner of the hallway.  Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, Kurogane resheathed his sword and beckoned her forward.  She hesitated briefly, but eventually emerged from around the corner, shakily carrying a serving tray with two glasses of what appeared to be wine.

 

“Th..these are for y..y..you and y..your friend, Sir.” She stuttered, holding the tray out for him. “Th..the healer s..s..sent them.”

 

“Please give the healer my thanks.” Kurogane took the tray from her hands before she could drop it, trying to keep his gruff voice pleasant.  She dipped a brief curtsy before disappearing down the hall.

 

Setting the tray on the floor beside him, Kurogane grabbed one of the glasses, and downed its contents in one swallow.  He looked at the other glass, his previous dilemma resurfacing.  It would be so easy to just walk in and claim that it was time for Fai to take his medicine.  Kurogane smacked his palm against his forehead.  More lame excuses.  This twisted temptation was beginning to become a nuisance.

 

Kurogane sat on the floor and rested his head against the cool stone of the wall, his eyes becoming heavy.  All this worry was exhausting, and the sleepless nights spent watching over the injured mage were taking their toll.  Sleep hovered at the edges of his mind, threatening to overcome him.  Enticing as the idea was, and as desperately as he knew his body needed it, Kurogane knew he couldn’t sleep just yet.  The army might have been preoccupied fighting at the Moon Castle, but that by no means made the palace safe.  Kurogane felt his mind become clouded with drowsiness, and he tried in vain to fight it.  He shook his head wearily and blinked his eyes in a desperate attempt at refusal, before muttering a final protest, and surrendering to the peaceful void of sleep.


	6. The Will to Fight

(Kurogane’s POV)

 

A distant sound woke him.  He blinked slowly, the fog in his mind starting to clear.  Wherever he was, it was dark and cold.  Chastising himself for sleeping on the job, he reached for his sword, his arms moving nearly an inch, before jerking to a halt.  Now completely awake and alert, he found that both his arms were stretched out, parallel to the ground, chained to the wall.  A quick tug informed him that his legs had been spread and chained as well.  Surveying his surroundings, his eyes confirmed what his mind was already beginning to believe.  He was in a prison cell.  Shutting his eyes firmly, Kurogane tried to remember what had happened.

 

“Awake are we?”  A familiar voice echoed from the darkness.

 

Kurogane pulled at the chains on his arms, glaring in the direction of the voice.

 

“Oh my.  Aren’t you terrifying.”  A brunette head emerged from the shadows.  Swinging the prison keys around a finger, the lieutenant responsible for the assault on Fai smirked.

 

“You! How did you...”

 

“Escape?”  The smirk became a vicious grin.  “Simple.  I strangled the guard when he brought my food.”  The lieutenant gestured across the room.    In the darkness Kurogane could barely make out the shape of a body on the floor.

 

“You bastard.”  Kurogane hissed through clenched teeth.

 

“Careful.  You’ll want to save your insults for later.  The party is just getting started.”

 

“Release me.”  He yanked the chains to make his meaning clear.

 

“And if I do? What will you do then?”

 

“I’ll kill you.”  Kurogane growled, chained hands balling into fists.

 

The lieutenant laughed.  “Quite the argument you’ve got there.  You want me to release you so you can slice me up with this wonderful sword of yours.  Is that right?”  The lieutenant held up Kurogane’s sword, admiring it.  “Very well.”  He tossed the sword at the warrior’s feet. It clanked as it hit the ground and skid into the wall, far to the left of its owner’s feet.  Even if Kurogane had been able to move, he wouldn’t have been able to reach it without leaving himself wide open for attack.  He let his head fall to his chest.

 

“What’s this?  Giving up so soon?”

 

“Coward.”

 

“What did you say?”

 

Kurogane raised his head and smiled cruelly.  “It makes sense.  A pathetic weakling like you could never hope to defeat someone like me.  So you drug me and chain me up.  Because an unarmed, immobilized enemy is the only kind a coward like you is capable of beating.”

 

The lieutenant stormed over to him, until his his body was merely a foot away from Kurogane’s, his fists shaking with rage. “How dare you!” His captor’s right fist connected with his jaw, drawing blood. “Looks like you need to be reminded of your place, foreigner.” The brunette turned to go. “As much as I’d love to stay here and beat you senseless, it’s about time I went to fetch our other guest for the evening. You just sit tight, and when I return, the real fun will begin.”

 

Once the door to the prison cells had closed, Kurogane pulled and yanked his restrained hands against their bonds, anger tinging his sight with flecks of red.   When he felt blood begin to trickle down his arm, he stopped, the pain bringing him out of his infuriated trance.  He reminded himself that if he were injured too badly, he wouldn’t be able to fight effectively against his captors once they let him free.  Assuming they had any intention of releasing either him, or the person they had gone to get.  Kurogane closed his eyes, and dropped his head to his chest again.  It wasn’t hard to guess who the ‘other guest’ was.  He could feel the bile start to rise in his throat as he thought about what he knew was coming.

 

“Fai.” Kurogane whispered, the sound echoing eerily around the empty prison.  And for the first time since he was a child, Kurogane felt truly helpless.

 

 

* * *

 

(Fai’s POV)

 

Fai’s brain refused to accept the image his eyes saw.  It couldn’t be real.  This was all some sort of trick or illusion, it had to be.  His arms and knees, sore and bleeding from crawling on the rough stone of the palace floor, began to shake uncontrollably, and his mind was reeling.  It was just like before.  Everything was falling apart around him, and he was helpless to stop it.

 

“Fai!”  Kurogane’s voice was gravely and thick with rage.  The sound made Fai flinch.  “ Get up !  Get up and fight them!”

 

He knew Kurogane wanted him to fight, but the voice in his head kept telling him that this was his punishment, this was what he deserved.  His newfound will to live, the will Kurogane himself had instilled in him back in Oto, was being challenged by fear, and fear was winning.  As he dropped his gaze down to the floor, he could feel Kurogane’s fiery red glare boring a hole straight through him.  It tore at his heart, and he felt tears begin to well in his eyes.  But still, he could not fight back.

 

“Save your breath.  He’s not going to listen to you.  Are you my pet?”  The lieutenant appeared behind Fai, and pulled the blonde head around to face him.  A lone tear fell down the mage’s cheek in answer.  “You see. He’s mine now.”  The hand left his head, and Fai gasped as a finger pressed against his entrance, forcing its way inside.  The brunette laughed at the sound.  “Such a greedy little bitch, sucking on my finger so tightly.  You just can’t wait to have my cock inside you.”

 

When the lieutenant roughly added another finger, Fai’s arms collapsed from overuse and pain.  He fell onto his forearms, causing his ass to thrust up into the man’s hand.  There was a sudden burst of laughter from the men in the cell, and Fai felt his knees being pushed apart and a hand on his hips raised them even further, baring himself completely to the man behind him.

 

“What a slut you are, begging for more like that.  Well, if that’s what you really want,”  The fingers were yanked harshly from inside him, and Fai whimpered at the suddenness of it.  “Then I won’t deny you.  But before you get any more pleasure, you need to earn it my pet.”

 

The lieutenant gestured at the cells other occupants.  As the other four men joined their leader, Fai felt his will begin to desert him.  The lieutenant forced his cock into the blonde’s ass, the previous preparation doing little to ready Fai for the large, forceful presence.  The brunette buried his cock to the hilt in one thrust, ripping apart Fai’s freshly healed wounds.  Fai’s agonizing screams were cut short as another cock was thrust into his mouth.  He soon lost count of the number of hands that spent their time stroking, probing, and teasing every erogenous part of his body.  After what seemed like mere seconds, Fai was fully erect and thrusting uncontrollably into the hand that surrounded his cock.  As he neared his release, a hand gripped his blonde hair, impaling him on the organ in his mouth, and bitter liquid hit the back of his throat.  The hand around his hardened member quickened its pace, bringing the mage to climax, the lieutenant shortly following suit and emptying his seed into Fai’s abused hole.

 

“Oh dear.  It seems our guest isn’t enjoying himself.”  The lieutenant lifted Fai’s chin until he could see Kurogane.  His head was bowed, his body all but limp in his restraints.  “Why don’t you go on over and show him just how good that little mouth of yours is?”

 

The mage was moving before his brain had time to process what he was doing.  His hands shook as he untied the garments around Kurogane’s waist.  Within moments they fell to the floor revealing the ninja’s large, flaccid member.  As he placed his hands on the warrior’s bare hips, Fai froze.  He knew this was wrong.  This was Kurogane.  His companion...his friend.  The man who had made him feel safe and protected.  The only person that had ever told him to live.

 

“What’s the matter?  Your cowardice catching up to you?”  Kurogane’s voice was harsh and filled with anger.  Fai looked up and immediately wished he hadn’t, as Kurogane’s scarlet gaze pierced through his heart as if it were the warrior’s sword.  Fai dropped his eyes to the ground, shame burning in his chest as tears rolled down his cheeks.  Kurogane snorted.  “Whatever.  You wanna die that bad, go right ahead.  Living’s never really been your thing.”

 

The words flooded Fai’s mind, pushing the fear and self-loathing to the side, and bringing Kurogane’s lecture in Oto to the forefront of his thoughts.

 

‘Is this what you call living? You were a magician, what are you know?’  ‘Unlike you I don’t ever intend to give up.  I’ll fight for what’s mind and if I lose, well, there are worse things than being defeated.  At least I won’t end up like you, running away from my problems.’  ‘I’m sure you’ll live too, but I don’t know why you bother if you don’t fight for what you’ve lost.’

 

When they’d first started this journey Fai had wanted nothing more than to die.  Kurogane had given him a second chance, a reason to live.  Was he really going to take that kindness, that flickering light of hope that had brought him back from the brink of utter despair, and throw it back in the face of the man who had saved him?  Could he just sit back and watch as the only friend he’d ever had, the only person he’d ever loved, was sullied and dragged down into an abysmal darkness?  No.  He’d lost so much already, he couldn’t bear the thought of losing someone else.  Not again.

 

The tension and pain of the situation fell away, and Fai’s thoughts and senses became instantly clear.  With a swiftness that rendered him nearly invisible, Fai grabbed the hilt of Kurogane’s sword, and stood, casting the sheath aside.  Before the lieutenant and his men were able to process what was happening, Fai darted between them, wielding the vicious blade.  One by one the men fell, their blood dripping from the gleaming steel.

 

Fai removed the prison keys from the now dead lieutenant’s waist, and calmly approached Kurogane, freeing his limbs from their restraints.  Kurogane rubbed his chafed wrists, and replaced his discarded garments, before holding out his hand for the sword Fai still held.  The mage tightened his grip on the hilt, turning his knuckles white.  When Kurogane’s hand came down and covered Fai’s smaller one, the physical contact brought the mage out of the trance he hadn’t even known he’d fallen into.  His legs buckled beneath him, causing him to fall to his knees, the sword dropping from his now limp hands.

 

While Kurogane gathered up his sword and sheathed it, Fai quietly went to pieces.  It was over.  He’d done it.  Somehow, someway, he had managed to find the strength to fight back against the terror and anguish that had kept him captive for so long.  He was free.

 

“Shall we go?”

 

Fai nearly cried with joy at the softness and tenderness in his companions voice.  His throat tight with emotion, the blonde simply stretched out his hands to the warrior.  Kurogane sighed, and Fai could have sworn he heard amusement in the sound.

 

“You’re hopeless.”  Kneeling, Kurogane scooped the frail form of his friend into his arms.  “And your skills with a sword leave a lot to be desired.”  Fai clenched his hands in the fabric of Kurogane’s shirt.  “But you did it.  You fought to live, and won.”  The approval and pride were evident in Kurogane’s voice, and Fai felt his face flush.

 

“Thank you.  For everything.”  Fai tightened his grip, whispering his gratitude as he rested his head against the larger man’s chest.

 

The arms holding him tightened briefly in reply, and the magician smiled into his companion’s shirt, feeling safe and completely free for the first time in his life.

 

 

* * *

 

(Kurogane’s POV)

 

Kurogane walked quickly down the halls, careful not to joggle his companion.  He had debated taking Fai to the healer’s, but knew that the soldiers would return soon with injuries of their own, and didn’t want to expose his friend to their prying eyes.  Then he had thought about taking Fai to the baths to get him cleaned up, but instantly rejected that idea.  Bathing was going to require new strategies for a while.  Out of any other options, he decided to take the mage to their quarters, and help him the best he could until other assistance could be found.  Besides, they needed to talk.

 

Upon arriving at their shared room, Kurogane set the mage down on his bed, covered him in a blanket, and began gathering the items he needed from around the room.  He laid a towel out on the stone floor and placed a stool on top of it.  Taking a clay pitcher from a shelf, he filled it with water and placed it next to the hearth, where he began building a fire.  Once the flames were nice and strong, he placed the pitcher near them, along with the pot of cold soup.  Then he found the soap, a soft cloth, and the healing salve, and placed them next to the towel on the floor.

 

“Uh, Kuro-pu?  What are you doing?”  Fai was lying on his side looking at him with a very confused expression.

 

“Just lay there and wait a minute.”

 

The blonde smiled and relaxed onto his stomach, watching the warrior work.  Kurogane brought in extra towels and fresh clothes from the side room, placing them near the set up on the floor.  Once the pitcher of water was warm enough, Kurogane poured it into a bucket and placed it next to the stool.

 

“We need to get you cleaned up, but the baths are out of the question.”  Kurogane bent down next to Fai’s bed and gestured towards the stool.  “Can you sit?”

 

Fai nodded and stood, holding onto Kurogane’s arm as he walked shakily over to the proffered seat.  With only a slight twinge, Fai sat and Kurogane knelt behind him, wetting the cloth with warm water.  Just as he was about to begin washing his companions back, a thought occurred to him and he paused.

 

“Can I wash you?”

 

The back before him stiffened slightly, then relaxed as Fai nodded.  He soaped the wet cloth, and began softly and slowly washing away the dirt and grime covering the pale skin.  Minute after minute went by as the warrior moved from back to arms, keeping his ministrations as gentle as possible.

 

“You don’t have to be so careful.  I’m not going to break you know.”  Fai’s voice was quiet and laced with the sound of unshed tears.

 

Finishing the mage’s arms, Kurogane moved around to his front and began running the cloth over his chest.  “It’s not a matter of fragility.  I take the same amount of care when cleaning my sword.”

 

“You could achieve the same results without the consideration.  It’s only a weapon.  It will perform the same whether you’re kind to it or not.”  The sorrow was obvious in Fai’s voice now.

 

“Perhaps, but I don’t do it because I think kindness will make it perform better.”

 

“Then why bother?”

 

“Because it’s precious to me.”  Kurogane halted his hands as Fai’s head fell onto his shoulder, the mage’s tears soaking through his shirt in moments.

 

“It’s just a sword.”  The words were garbled by cloth and tears, but their meaning was obvious.

 

“Not to me.”

 

Kurogane continued washing Fai’s body while the magician rested his head against the larger man’s shoulder and wept.  When he was done, he dried the blonde carefully and helped him into his clothes.  They sat and drank soup in silence, each still processing the events of the day.  Once the meal was over, Kurogane helped Fai into his bed.  As the warrior turned to leave, he felt a tug on his sleeve.

 

“Please stay.”  The sapphire eyes glinted with the slightest amount of fear.

  
Kurogane sighed and smiled softly before climbing under the blankets, and pulling Fai close to him.  Peace settled over the room as the two men fell asleep, wrapped in each other’s arms.


	7. The New Assignment

Fai couldn’t believe his luck.  Somehow, he had managed to wake before his companion, and he was thoroughly enjoying watching the other man sleep.  It was a once in a lifetime opportunity, and Fai leapt at the chance.  He lay as still as possible, one wrong move and the whole thing would blow up in his face.  Thin strands of black hair fell over Kurogane’s closed eyes, giving him a softer, less intimidating look.  The usually tight lips were relaxed and...inviting.  The blonde stopped himself before he continued along that line of thought.  After what had happened yesterday, what he’d almost done, there was no chance of his companion returning his feelings.  Not now.  Even that little speech about being ‘precious’ had probably been nothing more than Kurogane’s way of keeping Fai from having a complete and total nervous breakdown.

 

Fai was so lost in his thoughts that he didn’t hear the knock on the door.  So it startled him when Kurogane suddenly spoke, his features unmoving.

 

“Enter.” Kurogane called, sitting up to face the person opening the door.  He placed a hand on Fai’s shoulder, silently urging him to stay down.

 

“Sir! I apologize for the intrusion. The King has requested the presence of both you and your companion immediately.

 

“Understood. Wait for us in the hall.”

 

“Very good Sir.” The guard turned on his heel and vanished out the door.

 

“We better get dressed. How are you feeling? Can you walk?” Kurogane rubbed Fai’s shoulder gently before turning towards the clothes chest.

 

Fai sat up, and his rear twinged slightly. “I’ll manage. What do you suppose the King wants?” He quickly caught the clothes Kurogane tossed his way.

 

“If you don’t hurry up, we’ll never find out.”

 

Throwing on clean clothes, Fai stood shakily, Kurogane’s hand on his elbow keeping him from falling over. As they walked out the door, panic began to creep along the outside edges of the mage’s mind.  He leaned closer to Kurogane as they made their way to the King’s rooms, and if Kurogane noticed, he never said a word.

 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

The King’s chambers were dark and stuffy.  Once they were inside, the guard retreated back into the hall, closing the door softly behind him.  The King sat against the wall, nearly hidden by shadows.  Fai began to shake slightly, but calmed when he felt Kurogane’s grip on his elbow tighten.  As he focused on his breathing he noticed an intense magical pulsing coming from the King.  It was extremely powerful and the blonde recognized it instantly.

 

“A feather.”

 

“What?” Kurogane looked down at him in confusion.

 

“You’re very perceptive.”  The Commander emerged from the shadows looking worn and tired.  “It appeared sometime last night, after we returned from the castle.”

 

“I see.” Fai bowed his head slightly.

 

“Well I don’t.  What the hell is going on?!”  Kurogane’s voice was raised and becoming agitated.

 

The Commander sighed.  “The King, Yasha-o, died last night.  He had been sick for sometime, so it was expected.  We just hadn’t thought it would happen so soon.  Shortly after his death, a feather fell from the sky and...became this.”  He gestured towards the person sitting against the wall.  “It looks like the him, acts like him, and has the same desires as him.  But it’s not him, and eventually the men will notice.  There must be some reason this likeness exists, and I am not entirely convinced it isn’t some ploy by Ashura’s army.  Until it we can determine its origin and purpose someone needs to keep an eye on this...thing.  That’s where you two come in.  I can’t deal with this duplicate and lead the men at the same time.  So I’m turning my duties over to you.”

 

“But...why us?” Anxiety tinted the confusion in Fai’s voice.

 

“You’re outsiders.  You may have sworn the oath, but Yasha-o was not your King.  I cannot ask you to deal with this apparition, nor can I entrust him to one of my men.  If word of Yasha-o’s death were to get out there would be mass hysteria and rioting in the army’s ranks.  Besides that, you are both exceptionally strong.  The men need people like you to lead them.”

 

Fai opened his mouth to object to the assignment, but Kurogane spoke first.

 

“Understood.  Once you have informed the men of the change of command, we will do what we can to lead this army to victory.  If you require anything further of us, please do not hesitate to ask.”

 

“Thank you.  I have no words to convey my gratitude to you.  And as I’m sure you’ve surmised, this must remain secret.  I  do not want the other soldiers to know what has happened to their King.”

 

“Of course Sir.  You have our word that no one will learn of his Majesty’s...condition...from us.”  Kurogane’s voice was firm as he bowed his head slightly towards the Commander.

 

“Good.  My quarters have been cleared for your use as I will be staying here for the time being.  You may move in as soon as you like.”

 

“Our thanks Sir.  If you’ll excuse us...”

 

Kurogane bowed again and turned on his heel, spinning Fai around with him and causing him to grab onto Kurogane’s shirt in a desperate attempt to keep from falling over.

 

“There is one more thing I like to ask before you go.”

 

The pair stopped mid-stride.

 

“The guards found the five soldiers who were being held for crimes of brutality dead in the prison cells this morning.  Their bodies were sliced up by someone wielding a sword.  The guard who had been stationed there was also found strangled.  You wouldn’t happen to know anything about this would you?”

 

The panic that had been floating around in the back of Fai’s mind was suddenly forced to the front, and his grip on Kurogane’s shirt tightened.

 

“I’m afraid not Sir.  I do hope you’re able to catch the culprits.” Kurogane’s voice was steady and calm, but the insincerity was noticeable.

 

The Commander sighed knowingly.  “I see.  Very well, you’d best go and see to your new accommodations.”

 

“Yes Sir.  Excuse us.”

 

Kurogane dragged Fai down hallway after hallway until they reached their room, where he was pushed unceremoniously through the door.  After closing the door Kurogane leaned back against it and sighed, running a hand through his dark locks.

 

“Why?” The mage’s voice was barely audible.  His head was bowed and his eyes were hooded and unreadable.

 

“Is it important?”

 

“Yes.”

 

A large warm hand came down and rested on the blonde head.  “To protect you.”

 

“What if the Commander finds out?”

 

“Well, I’m fairly certain he already knows, but without some sort of confession or a witness, there’s not much he can do about it.  Besides, even if he did start some sort of investigation, which I doubt, you’re not a swordsman so there’s nothing to lead back to you anyway.  Any investigation, in the unlikely event it led anywhere, would at the most lead back to me, and I’d just deny it.  It’s fine.”  The hand gently ruffled his hair.  “Come on.  Let’s get our stuff together.”

 

While he bustled around packing up his things, Fai tried to sort out the jumbled mess of emotions whirling around in his head.  Fear, curiosity, panic, anxiety, confusion, and affection were all assaulting his psyche, threatening to overtake him.  But through all the chaos, one thought reverberated through his mind.  Was it possible?  Did Kurogane actually...feel for him?  He glanced up and watched as his companion lifted the trunk filled with clothes and took it to the door, his toned muscles showing clearly under the form fitting material of his shirt.  Fai swallowed forcefully as his heart rose in his throat and resolved to find out.

 

 

* * *

 

Kurogane lay on his bed in their new room, mentally going over the events of the last few days.  The whole ordeal seemed rather strange, almost staged.  Sure, things had been horrifying.  Fai had been assaulted right before his eyes and he hadn’t been able to do anything to stop it.  Kurogane had never wanted to kill someone more than he had at that moment.  But he hadn’t gotten the chance.  His blonde companion, the giggly, bubbly, never-raise-a-hand-to-defend-myself mage had killed them instead.  And Kurogane had to admit to himself that even he had experienced a small amount of fear at seeing his friend handle the blade with such calm precision.  Still, something seemed off about the way things had gone down in the prison cells.  As he ran a hand through his hair and began running through the sequence of events again, a voice broke into the silence of his thoughts.

 

“Can’t sleep, or won’t?”  Fai rolled over on his side and fixed him with a questioning glare. Kurogane sighed.  “Stop doing that!”  Blankets went flying as the mage sat up suddenly, turning and glaring at him with icy blue eyes.

 

The warrior started, his eyes widening in shock.  Had Fai just...yelled at him?!

 

“Every time I say something, you make that noise.  Why?  Are you so upset at me you’re beyond response?  Have you grown tired of listening to my pathetic whining?  Or maybe...maybe I’m just not worth the effort for you to show emotion any more.”

 

Kurogane blinked rather stupidly at his frustrated companion.  His mind, still in shock after the unexpected outburst, was trying to process Fai’s question, and failing.  After several moments of tense, unbroken silence, Fai lowered his head and turned away.

 

“I see.  I’m sorry to have bothered you.  Goodnight.”

 

As the mage lay down and drew the covers over himself, Kurogane’s mind caught up to the situation.

 

“It’s annoying.”  Kurogane’s voice was soft and tired.  “That fake smile you paste across your face.  We both know it’s not real.  Hell, even the fur ball knows it’s not real.  I understand why you wear it.  It’s helps keep the Princess and the kid in good spirits.  But they aren’t here right now.  So why do you keep hiding behind it?  You think you’re not worth the effort for me to show emotion towards you?  Well, I could say the same of you.  Do I matter so little to you that even with all that’s happened in the last few days, you won’t even show me your true emotions?  What have I done to make you distrust me so much?”

 

Fai remained with his back towards him, but his shoulders began to shake ever so slightly.  After a moment, he began to speak, his voice barely more than a whisper.

 

“I’m afraid.  This mask, this smile, they’re all I have.  For so long, they’ve been the only thing that’s kept me going.  The last few days...it’s...it’s nothing new.”

 

Kurogane stiffened, but bit back the rage that had begun to resurface as Fai continued.

 

“But you...you changed things.  You had faith in me back in Oto.  No one’s ever believed in me before.  Not really.  I want to show you, to share everything that I am with you, but I’m so scared.  The person I am, truly am, is...”

 

“You’re Fai.” Kurogane stated rather sharply, causing the mage to stop abruptly.  “That’s all you’ve ever been, and it’s all you’ll ever be.  I don’t care whether the bouncy, giggly persona is the real you, or whether that mechanized killer is the real you.  I don’t care about who you were or who you’re going to be.  Your past, your future, they don’t matter.  What matters is who you are, right now.  This day, this minute.  That’s it.”

 

“But they do matter.  Someday my past will catch up to me, and when that happens...there will be no future.  Not for me, and not for anyone else I’m close to.  So I have to stay behind this mask.  Then no one else can be hurt because of me.”

 

“You can’t control that.  People will want to be close to you as long as you’re alive no matter how good or how terrible of a person you are.  And if their choice to be close to you puts them on the front line of your battles, what’s wrong with that?  You’re far more likely to win the war if you have other people standing by your side.”

 

“Standing by my side gets people killed.”  A combination of old pain and anger began to show in Fai’s voice.

 

“So does standing by Princess Tomoyo.  She’s lost dozens of good men, both soldiers and friends, and never once wavered from her calling.  She bears the pain and sorrow, and it carries her through to the end.  Same with the kid.  He spends every day of his life protecting the girl he loves, all the while dying a little inside every time she remembers a shared event where he’s no longer included.  That’s how the world works.  The people close to you hurt you and get hurt by you.  Not because that’s how it should be, or because that’s how you want it to be, but because it’s, to use the witch’s word, inevitable.  You can deprive people of your company as much as you like, but it won’t stop them from getting hurt, and it won’t stop them from caring when you get hurt.”  The warrior’s voiced was deep and filled with passionate emotion.

 

The room was silent except for the sound of Kurogane’s heavy breathing.  After a few moments without a response from his companion, Kurogane sighed and turned away, settling back into his bed.

 

“Do you?” The blonde’s voice was so soft Kurogane barely heard it.

 

“Do I what?”

 

“Care.  When I get hurt.”

 

This time the silence was palpable.  The question had been expected.  Kurogane sat up once again and placed a hand on Fai’s shoulder, taking a deep breath before answering.

 

“Yes.  Every time.”

 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

The man standing outside the door to the two companion’s room smirked to himself before walking away.

  
“This is going to be fun.”


	8. The Void

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING!!!
> 
> This chapter contains a semi-graphic description of the sexual assault and rape of a minor. I do NOT condone actions like this in any way, shape, or form.
> 
> You have been warned!

Hearing Kurogane say he cared had filled him with a peacefully warm sensation.  It was an unknown feeling for him.  He found himself wanting to leave his bed and crawl in beside the warrior, to feel his companions arms around him, holding him, protecting him. 

 

“Do you need something?”  The gruff voice sounded more amused than angry.

 

Fai jerked out of his reverie and noticed that while his mind had been contemplating, his body had been acting.  He was halfway out of his bed, reaching for the ninja’s covers.

 

“I...I...”  His mind refused to provide his mouth with a comprehensible explanation for what he was doing.

 

Kurogane turned towards him and placed a hand on his arm.  Looking directly into his blue eyes, the larger man sighed.

 

“The phrase is ‘I’m cold.’  It’s really not that hard.”

 

Fai found himself being pulled into Kurogane’s bed, warm arms wrapping around him.  The blonde relaxed into the embrace as sleep began to claim him.

 

“I’m cold.”  His voiced trailed off as he surrendered to exhaustion.

 

Kurogane laughed softly.  “Goodnight.”

 

 

* * *

 

The next day found the two companions preparing their newly acquired troops for battle.  While Kurogane ran them through training drill after training drill, Fai sat back and smiled.  They had decided that, even though communication was now possible, Fai should continue playing the part of the strong, silent type.  That way, once their method for communication was once again lost, no one would notice.  Of course, that wasn’t their biggest problem.  Although the Commander had spoken to the troops about the change in command, none of the soldiers were especially happy about having the ‘outsiders’ leading them.

 

Kurogane had stood there silently while the troops accused him of being ‘disloyal’, ‘conniving’, and, to top it all off, ‘unworthy’. Fai stood, silently smiling to himself, watching from the side lines as his companion’s anger rose.  The signs were nearly invisible to someone who didn’t know Kurogane very well, but Fai had spent a good deal of time antagonizing the warrior, so he knew that Kurogane was rapidly reaching the limit of his patience.  When the accusation of ‘unworthy’ was added to the list, the mage felt a thrill of excitement as the usually stoic warrior’s composure broke.  He found he was looking forward to watching Kurogane pound them all into the dust.

 

“Unworthy is it? Very well. We will gladly hand over the position to anyone who can defeat us.”  Scarlet eyes turned to meet sapphire with a look that clearly said ‘If I have to deal with these morons, so do you.’  Fai smiled his classic smile in return, but let the mischief show through his eyes as he walked over to stand next to Kurogane.

 

The soldiers drew their weapons as Fai picked up a practice staff and Kurogane unsheathed his sword, turning it in his hand so the back of the blade faced outward. There was no warning and no beginning bell, the men simply attacked.  They were unorganized and clumsy, making them extraordinarily easy to dodge.  Fai didn’t mind of course.  He preferred avoidance to actual contact.  When the perfect opportunity presented itself, he struck his opponents, felling them with one blow.  It was clean, neat, and immensely terrifying to watch.

 

Having dealt with his share, the mage turned to see how his companion was faring.  Dozens of men littered the ground around the warrior, moaning as they slowly returned to their feet.  Fai faked a whistle, smiling wide when his friend glared at him in return.

 

“Now, any more questions about who’s in charge?”  Kurogane swung his blade threateningly and the men hurriedly got to their feet and stood at attention, all questions of their leaders worthiness wiped from their minds.

 

Shortly before training ended for the day, a messenger had come out to the practice grounds with a summons for Fai.  The King wanted to see him.  After a tentative look in Kurogane’s direction, which got him a brief nod of encouragement, Fai left.  Anxiety attempted to gain the upper hand in his mind, but the blonde firmly told himself there was absolutely nothing to worry about.  Not anymore.  He knocked gently on the King’s door and received murmured permission to enter.  Once inside, he closed the door behind him, turned around, and everything went black.

 

 

* * *

 

Kurogane drove his fist into the wall for the hundredth time, blood dripping from his battered knuckles onto the cobbled floor.  He let the hand fall to his side and pressed his forehead against the cool stone, breathing deeply.  This wasn’t helping.  In fact, all things considered, it was probably making things worse.  With another deep breath, he steeled himself against the inevitable, and pushed away from the wall, turning to face the shaking messenger.

 

“Take me to him.”

 

 

* * *

 

Initially, Fai’s absence hadn’t worried him.  There was no great demand for his presence, at least until the moon peaked, and it kept the mage out of harms way.  Besides, Kurogane was certain Fai had been summoned to help solve some problem with the Princess’s feather, which was their first priority, even though it wasn’t immediately pressing.

 

When the moon began to rise, he had sent a runner to the King’s chambers.  He had returned with a message to take the soldiers to battle without his second in command, the blonde would be remaining behind to fulfill an assignment from the King.  And so Kurogane had led his troops at the moon castle, while the vacant eyed facsimile of the King fought beside them.  The battle was a stalemate as per usual, and they had returned home, only to find a messenger awaiting them with the news that Fai had collapsed.

 

 

* * *

 

The body laying on the healer’s table was a pasty, sickening white.  The normally lively face was drawn and almost corpse like.  If it hadn’t been for the shallow rise and fall of the chest under the blanket, it would have been impossible to tell that the mage was alive.  Kurogane pulled a cold, limp hand into his own, squeezing it gently and willing the warmth to return.

 

“We’re doing everything we can, but so far...”  The healer’s lack of confidence showed through his voice.

 

“Do you know what caused it?”  Kurogane asked, his voice devoid of any discernible emotion.

 

“Not yet.  He has all of the same symptoms of fever, but his body is cold, not warm.  I’ve administered some medicine and used what magic I have, but his body seems to be rejecting any treatment I give him.”

 

“Will he recover?”

 

“Truthfully?  I don’t know.  But if he doesn’t start to recover soon, his body is going to start shutting down from the cold.  We’re doing all we can to keep him warm, but...it’s as if he doesn’t want to heal.”

 

As the healer left to tend to another patient, Kurogane tightened his grip on Fai’s hand.  His mind was a void.  All the emotions he had felt the last few days, the worry, the stress, the anger, the mild panic and fear, they were all absent.  He couldn’t even bring himself to feel guilty.  All he felt was empty.  Empty, and very, very alone.  And so he stood there, motionless, holding the cold hand tightly in his own until long after the moon had set.

 

 

* * *

  
  


When Fai opened his eyes he was naked, and lying on his back in pure darkness.  Smoke like tendrils rose from the floor, wrapping around his arms and legs, and holding him prisoner in their vice like grip.  He tugged at the restraints, but they did not release him.  He called out for help, and the sound echoed through the abyss, feeding the fear that was beginning to form in his chest.  As his fear grew, he began to struggle in earnest against the bonds which held him.

 

[It is pointless to struggle.]  A deep, threatening voice reverberated from the shadows.

 

He froze.  [Who are you?  What am I doing here?]

 

[You are a sinner.  Sinners must be punished.]  A small light appeared above Fai’s chest and hovered there.  [Now, you will pay for your sins.]  The light dropped until it touched his bare skin.  Pure agony shot through every nerve in his body.  His back arched as he writhed in pain, and his mouth fell open in a blood curdling scream.

 

After nearly a minute, though it seemed much longer, the light retreated and the bonds that held him vanished.  Fai curled around himself and began to shake with such intensity that he feared he would fall apart.  [Please. Please let me go.]

 

[Your pleas are disgraceful.  You are a sinner.  Accept your punishment.]

 

The light began to descend towards him again.  [Please!  At least tell me what I’m being punished for!]

 

Just as it was about to reach him, the light vanished.  Pushing himself to his knees, Fai watched in horror as the darkness began to melt away revealing a small ornate bedroom.  His breath caught in his throat, every fiber of his being telling him this wasn’t real, that it couldn’t be real.  He closed his eyes, wishing, hoping, praying that the images before him were nothing more than figments, remembered horrors from a pain-filled past.  [Make it stop. Please make it stop.]

 

[These are your sins.  It is for them you must be punished.]

 

The soft sounds of night washed over him, causing him to open his eyes.  In front of him stood a bed.  It was small in comparison to the rest of the room, but this was offset by the size of its occupant. A small boy lay between the covers, sleeping peacefully.  The door swung open silently and a tall dark-haired man walked in. He approached the sleeping child and sat on the bed next to him, brushing the blonde hair from the boy’s eyes.  Then he whispered the boy’s name.

 

[Fai.]  The adult version of the sleeping child pulled his arms around himself, memories of that horrible night surfacing.

 

[Fai. You’ve been a bad boy.]  The man pulled the boy from the bed none too gently, ignoring his confused, half-awake cries.  He forced the boy to his knees, yanking on the soft blonde hair until the boy’s head was being pressed into the cold stone of the floor, his behind raised before his assailant.  [I’m going to have to punish you now.]

 

Fai’s felt the roughness of the stone beneath him as he fell forward, mimicking the movements of the boy.  He felt the boy’s fear as his sleep-shirt was pushed up out of the way, and the following pain as a hand connected with the sensitive flesh of his bare backside.  Crying out in time with the younger version of himself, he felt the terror and agony as sharply as he had the night it had first happened. Over and over and over the stinging pain came, each time more agonizing than the last.  Tears streamed down his face and dropped soundlessly to the floor.  The torment lasted for what felt like hours, seeming at times to stop and restart.

 

When the hand came down for the final time, it stayed where it landed and began to rub the now reddened cheeks.  As the pain in his rear began to subside, the hand began to move, running down his sides and over his chest, sliding down his stomach, and then lower.  It stroked at the small member between his legs, bringing it nearly instantly to life with a few well placed touches.  A second hand appeared, probing at the tiny entrance, forcing a single digit inside.  He gasped in pain, whimpering when a second finger was added.  They scissored roughly for a brief moment before being removed.  Burning agony filled his body as the man positioned himself at the boy’s tiny hole, and forced his way inside.  Blood began to flow as his flesh ripped and it ran down his legs in violent streaks.  The man started to thrust.  Again and again the thrusts ripped into him, bringing new tears to his eyes and cries of pain from his lips.  Then, just as suddenly as it appeared, the large member was removed.  Hands pulled the boy up and spun him around, forcing the now bloodied organ into his mouth and resuming thrusting. The man grabbed the blonde hair, holding the boy in position while he mercilessly pounded away at his throat.  After what seemed like an eternity, he wrenched the boy’s head away from it’s choking task.  Hot, sticky fluid gushed from the man’s member and landed in thick streams on the small face.  Throwing the boy carelessly to the floor, the man rearranged his clothing.  As the door slammed shut the boy began to sob in earnest, his tears mixing together with the blood and semen covering his small features.

 

The darkness returned and Fai lay there sobbing as it consumed the pitiful scene before him.  So many nights the brutality had been repeated.  Each one more painful and degrading.  No one had said a word.  They had cleaned him and bandaged him, and then left him, alone and defenseless, to face the horror again the next night.

 

[Do you see now?]  The condescending voice returned.  [You are a sinner.]  Images of that night’s events danced through the darkness, fading in and out of sight.  [You are a liar.]  He saw himself with his companions, laughing and dancing around.  [You are a liability.]  Now he was seeing a battle where he’d been thrown against a wall and protected by a swordsman whose sword had been lost while defending him.  Then he saw the swordsman chained to a wall blood trailing from his lip.  [You are a killer.]  The images shifted again, showing him a scene where he stood calmly holding a sword, naked but for the blood on his skin, and surrounded by bloody remains.  [You are a sinner, and you must be punished for your sins.]

 

He started slightly and pushed away from the ground. That voice...he recognized it...that voice was...

 

 

* * *

 

Fai’s body began to thrash around, moving so violently he nearly threw himself off the healer’s table.  Kurogane grabbed his arms and pinned them while an attendant held his legs.  Sapphire eyes shot open and landed on the warrior.

 

“Help.”  His voice was weak and gravely, but it caught Kurogane’s attention and he leaned down to listen.

 

With his message safely delivered, the mage slipped back into the nightmarish void of his mind, the strength he had used to free himself for that brief moment spent.  As his eyes slipped closed once again, he prayed his companion would understand and be able to save him.

 

Kurogane stood in silent shock, staring at his friend’s once again motionless body.  The three final words Fai had managed to say had struck fear into his heart, which was quickly replaced with sheer rage.

  
“It’s the Commander.”


	9. The End

They say that knowing is half the battle.  What they don’t tell you is that it’s the easy half.  The other half is full of anxiety and stress, hair-pulling and wall-hitting.  And then the real problems start.

 

Kurogane sat next to Fai’s bed in the healer’s room pondering his next move.  He knew he had to do something.  Fai was obviously in trouble, and the Commander was obviously the one causing it.  But how?  And what could he, a swordsman with no magic skills to speak of, do about it?  He thought about killing the Commander, but he wasn’t sure if that would actually solve the problem.  It might leave Fai stuck in whatever hellish mind-dimension he’d been pulled into.  Without knowing exactly what the Commander was doing, it would be foolish to charge in without a plan.  Wouldn’t it?  Kurogane ran a hand through his hair and though for a moment.  The longer he delayed, the more pain Fai was in, but the more prepared he would be to face the Commander.  And the more prepared the Commander would be to face him.  As a few more fruitless moments passed, Kurogane realized that waiting was doing nothing for him, and giving his enemy that much more time to hurt his companion.  Without another thought, he grabbed his sword and raced out the door, ready for battle.

 

 

* * *

 

In theory, rushing the enemy before they have a chance to regroup is a sound military strategy.  In practice, it usually ends with you lying face down in the dirt, or in this case, thrown into a stone wall by a blast of magical energy.

 

The King was lying on his blankets, emitting shimmering waves of magic which flowed into the now cackling Commander who stood next to him, glowing sword outstretched.

 

“And so the mighty protector rushes to rescue his beloved, heedless of the true power of his enemy.  How romantic.”

 

Kurogane wiped away the blood running down the side of his face.  “True power?  I’ve seen kids throw better than that.”

 

“Save the goading.  I won’t be distracted by your petty insults.”  Although his words tried to mask it, the tiniest hint of annoyance could be heard in the Commander’s voice.

 

Smiling, Kurogane got to his feet and drew his sword.  “Who’s goading?  I was simply stating a fact.”  The warrior swept his eyes over the room quickly, trying to find what the Commander was using to manipulate Fai.

 

“Looking for this?”

 

Surprise and shock showed plainly on the warriors face as he stared at the object in the Commander’s hand.

 

“The...translation stone?  But how...?”

 

“How you ask?  Simple.  You obtained this stone for him, to help him.  You paid the price to aid him.  It ties the two of you together, making it the perfect tool for breaking both him, and your precious little bond.”

 

A red flush of anger began to creep above the collar of Kurogane’s shirt.  “Why?  Why are you doing this?”  His voice was low, his words precise, and he shifted his stance slightly as he spoke.

 

“Why?  How could you ask that?  Have you never looked at him?  That smooth delicate skin, those soft golden locks, the deep sapphire eyes; all laid out in front of you.  But you refuse to turn and look, and he won’t turn his eyes away from you!  That’s why.  Such beauty, such devotion are lost on such an ungrateful mongrel as you.”

 

Kurogane smirked wickedly.  “I see.  The once great and powerful Commander reduced to a sniveling, jealous wimp.  My, my, how the mighty have fallen.”  As the Commander’s face became purple with rage, Kurogane’s smirk widened.  “Poor, dejected Commander.  Rejected by his comrades and unable to find love, he must steal companionship from others, reducing himself to the level of a petty thief.  How pathetic.”

 

Before Kurogane could blink the Commander attacked, and he barely had time to raise his blade.  Swords flashed and the sounds of steel meeting steel echoed off the stone walls.  Maddened by rage, the Commander attacked blindly leaving himself wide open to Kurogane’s precise blows.  They danced around each other, blades crashing together for several moments before the opportunity for victory presented itself.  As soon as he saw it Kurogane took it, his blade piercing through fabric and skin, straight through the Commander’s gut.

 

With a deep gurgle of blood the former Commander went limp and the magic that had surrounded him began to flow back into the King.  Kurogane dropped the lifeless Commander to the ground and retrieved the translation stone from where it had been dropped on the floor.  Then he turned without a second glance and raced towards the healer’s rooms.

 

 

* * *

 

Kurogane placed the small, heavy stone in Fai’s cold hand, enclosing it within his own.  Minutes passed by slowly, but the mage still lay unmoving on the bed.

 

“Come on Fai, come back.”  Time dragged on, minutes feeling like hours as Kurogane waited for some sign that his friend would return.  “You’ve got to beat this.  I...I need you out here,”  he whispered softly, leaning down and gently kissing the pale forehead.  “Please.  Come back.”

 

After a few more agonizing moments, warmth began to return to the hand holding the stone.  Slowly, it spread up the blonde’s arm and into the rest of his body.  His breaths become stronger and deeper, and the color began to return to Fai’s skin.  Blue eyes opened, their sparkle dim but present, and a weak smile lit the rest of the mage’s face.  His voice was soft when he spoke.

 

“Good morning, Kuro-pu.”

 

Kurogane pulled Fai into his arms and held him tightly, not even bothering to respond.

 

 

* * *

 

His recovery wasn’t instantaneous.  After two days of sleeping poorly in the healer’s rooms, Fai had pleaded to be able to sleep in his own.  The healer had finally agreed, on the condition that he stay in bed until he had fully recovered.  And he had, mostly due to the insistence and hovering presence of Kurogane.  The day Fai moved back to their quarters, the translation stone had turned black.  With conversation no longer an option, Fai had gone back to using facial expressions to communicate.  However, after a few days of this silent communication, his warrior companion had become frustrated and angry, which although not surprising, did little to help matters.  Although Fai secretly found the sight adorable.  A secret he intended to keep even after they were reunited with their other companions.

 

One morning, Kurogane had left earlier than normal and without a word.  He returned less than an hour later with a box full of miscellaneous items, and a tray of food.  And so, while they ate breakfast, Kurogane had brought items out of his box one at a time, and taught Fai their names.  By the end of the week, Fai was able to communicate small things using one or two word sentences and lots of exaggerated facial expressions.

 

Once his body had mended and the healer had given his approval, Fai returned to training.  He allowed his body to ease back into the rigorous exercise, and it was nearly another two weeks before he accompanied his fellow soldiers to battle.  Upon returning, Kurogane had immediately grabbed his arm and practically dragged him back to their quarters, refusing to say a word in explanation, and then spent the night guarding the door.  Each night brought the same story, and Fai began to worry.

 

As the days passed in this manner, he knew something had to be done.  His stoic companion had been almost a completely different person since the whole ordeal had ended.  Although they were limited to the small amount of speech Fai’s vocabulary provided, that knowledge was growing and the mage had thought they were growing closer.  However, since he’d returned to battle, Fai also felt something else growing.  When they sat together eating their evening meal, when Kurogane was teaching him new words, but especially when they bathed and retired to their own beds, there was an overwhelming feeling of tension, as though an imaginary wall was keeping them apart.

 

 

* * *

 

One evening, after returning from the castle, Fai insisted upon bathing before going to bed.  Not relishing the thought of bathing alone, and knowing his companion wouldn’t permit it anyway, he pulled on Kurogane’s sleeve, mumbled a few incoherent words, and waved in the direction of the bath. Kurogane sighed softly, and reluctantly joined the blonde.  After a few moments of impossibly tense silence, Fai grabbed a cloth and soap, motioning for Kurogane to turn around.  The discomfort was evident on the dark-haired man’s face, but the mage was insistent.

 

The shoulders under his hands were so tense, they were more like large rocks concealed under a small covering of skin.  He moved the cloth in slow circles, pressing lightly in an effort to massage away the tension.  Eventually, his ministrations paid off, and he felt Kurogane’s breathing even out and become deeper as he relaxed.  Time blurred together as he moved the soft cloth from shoulders to back, and Fai couldn’t help but admire the slightly golden tone of Kurogane’s skin, the way his muscles rippled as they shed their stressful burden.  Dropping the cloth into the water, he began rubbing his fingers over Kurogane’s back.  The warrior stiffened slightly, but only for a moment before he eased back into the touch.  Letting his body take over, the blonde head bent to the warrior's back, softly kissing the wet skin.  His lips moved up, tracing the lines of the shoulder until he reached Kurogane’s neck, a small groan giving him permission to continue.  He nipped softly at the tender skin, causing Kurogane’s breath to catch.  While his mouth teased, his hands began moving lower, rubbing circles into the lower back.

 

A large hand reached around, covering his and ceasing his movements.  Kurogane turned around rapidly and pulled him close, upsetting the water around them.  Fai held perfectly still as Kurogane’s breathing leveled out.  When the warrior’s grip began to loosen, he pulled away, turning and looking into the ninja’s eyes, confused.  Kurogane placed a large calloused hand on Fai’s cheek, leaning in and kissing him softly.  As he pulled away, Kurogane smiled and nodded towards their beds.  Fai smiled and nodded in acknowledgment.

 

The smooth fabric of the blankets felt cool against his wet skin.  He turned and lay on his back, facing the man bracing himself above him.  A strange emotion showed through the scarlet eyes, and a hand brushed damp blonde hair from his face.  Arms pulled him close and rough lips descended on his, a soft tongue gently parting them.  The heat and passion from the kiss spread through his body, poling between his legs.  His hands traveled along the smooth expanse of skin above him, teasing as they explored.  A deep moan rose in his throat as Kurogane’s hands began to mimic his own, and he arched when his companion’s fingertips brushed against his dripping cock.  Breaking away from their kiss, scarlet eyes met sapphire, questioningly.  Fai smiled, touched by the other man’s caring, and nodded, pulling him down for another kiss.

 

The hand on his groin rubbed up and down the shaft teasingly soft and slow, causing him to arch away from the kiss and moan, long and deep.  Kurogane smiled and chuckled softly, pleased.  Fai reached out a hand, fumbling slightly as he searched blindly for the small jar of healing salve that had been kept near his bed.  When he found it, he gripped it tightly for a moment before grabbing Kurogane’s hand and pressing the tiny jar into it.  Kurogane looked down at the jar for a brief moment, before turning his gaze on his companion.  His eyes were filled with worry and concern, but there was no disgust or confusion.  Heartened by this, Fai placed his hand over Kurogane’s and squeezed it gently, nodding ever so slightly and pleading with his eyes.  He wanted this, more than he had wanted anything in a long time, and he could only hope Kurogane understood.  Kurogane stared into his eyes for what seemed like an eternity, searching for any sign of discomfort, but there was none to be found.  Satisfied, he removed the lid from the jar and dipped a finger inside.  He leaned down and kissed Fai roughly and passionately.  The now slick finger rubbed at his entrance, spreading the salve and relaxing the muscle as Fai lost himself in Kurogane’s drugging kiss.  He gasped briefly in pain as the finger entered him and pulled away from the kiss stiffening slightly.  Kurogane stopped his movements and gripped Fai’s hand tightly in his other hand, offering silent comfort until the body beneath him relaxed and the blonde head nodded, urging him to continue.  Slowly, the finger moved, stretching the tiny hole as it slid in and out, while Kurogane kissed his way down the pale chest.  He lapped gently at Fai’s nipples until they hardened, and then he softly bit down on the sensitive nubs, eliciting a deep moan of need from the mage.

 

Fai’s brain was on fire with the sensations and emotions coursing through him.  Never in his life had he felt so loved...or so wanted.  A second finger cautiously joined the first, the pain lasting no more than an instant before being replaced by sheer pleasure.  The two digits moved slowly, scissoring slightly with each thrust as they stretched him.  Fai’s gasps and moans blended together until they were one long sound of desire, and his mind melted in need as Kurogane continued his delicious torment of Fai’s nipples.  Unable to stand the blissful agony, Fai felt his way down the warrior's toned chest, seeking to pleasure the other man as well.  Nestled between the man’s powerful legs, he found the other man’s cock, thick and hot, pulsing and slick with desire.  He smiled to himself as he teased the sensitive skin of the head, eliciting a deep, throaty growl from the man above him.  Knowing they were both reaching their limits, Fai pulled his newfound lover down, wrapping his legs around his companion’s waist.  After pausing briefly for one more nod of assurance, Kurogane slowly pressed himself into the tight warmth, moving carefully until his entire length was buried in Fai.

 

There were no more pauses for certainty, or slow calculated movements.  Fai threw back his head in a bone deep moan of pleasure and gratitude as Kurogane stopped being cautious and surrendered to need.  Fai’s brain melted at the sensation as the tip of Kurogane’s cock dragged across that tiny nub of pleasure inside him and he brought up his hips, meeting each passionate thrust with one of his own.  Within moments, he felt the white hot pleasure of climax course through him, and his scream echoed against the stone walls, harmonizing with the deep, impassioned grown of his companion’s own release.  They collapsed, limbs and bodies entangled in each other, breathing heavily as they basked in bliss of afterglow.

 

Sometime later, Fai returned to himself, warm and satisfied.  The hand in his hair slowed, but didn’t stop as he looked over at its owner, smiling the most sincere smile he had in years, a single word rising to his lips.

 

“Love.”

 

Kurogane returned the smile.  “Love.”


End file.
